KUALA LUMPUR: MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd is investigating an incident in which a 13-year old boy was allegedly slapped by a security guard at its Nu Sentral branch today.
In the incident, the boy claimed he was slapped twice after a security guard accused him of stealing a book.
The victim’s father; Lim Yaw, via a social media posting, claimed the guard had accused his son of stealing a book and wanted to check the boy’s bag.
He said the guard then “dragged” his son into a room, while calling for another security guard to come over, before slapping his son twice.
The dispute only ended when the accompanying guard saw a ‘paid’ sticker at the back of the book, which the boy had allegedly purchased earlier, and allowed him to leave the room.
Lim claimed the second guard then told his son not to inform his parents of the incident.
Lim’s Facebook post has since garnered more than 570 shares and more than 260 comments as of 9pm.
MPH in a statement said it is aware of the incident.
“We thank you for your concern and for bringing this matter to our attention. Please be rest assured (sic) that we take this matter seriously.
“Immediate action has been taken and an investigation is already well underway. The staff involved in this matter has been suspended, pending investigation,” read the statement posted on the bookstore’s Facebook page.