KOTA KINABALU: A man was arrested for criminal intimidation after he threatened the teachers who caught his son smoking in school on the eve of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) written examination.

       Police arrested the 49-year-old suspect at the school compound in Kepayan Ridge here following an altercation on Monday.

       The incident went viral on social media.

       Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said they arrested the father under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation after a teacher reported the incident.

       He said the suspect was remanded but declined to give details pending an investigation.

       It is believed that the incident, which occurred at the school’s basketball court, was apparently triggered when a teacher caught the boy smoking in the toilet on the upper floor of one of the school blocks.

       The teacher is said to have tried to take the boy, along with two others, to the disciplinary room, but the student supposedly became aggressive and two other teachers were roped in to help.

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       On checking his school bag, they found a packet of cigarettes.

       Shortly after, the boy’s father turned up and apparently confronted the teachers and questioned them for beating his son.

       Despite one of the teachers’ explanation, the father ranted threats and held him by the collar.

       When contacted, Sabah Education Department director Datuk Raisin Saidin said the student was caught smoking in school and this is not allowed within any school compound.