A senior citizen was supposed to get off her bus from Kuantan at Bentong, but she missed her stop and was heading to Kuala Lumpur.
The driver then dropped her off by the roadside along the Karak highway when she was spotted by a passer-by who took her to a nearby petrol station.
According to Bentong OCPD, Supt Zaiham Mohd Kahar, police were then alerted of the woman’s predicament at 8.15pm and sent a team to meet her.
Inspector Faizal Shamsir and Corporal Nur Amira Ramli managed to contact her by phone and she was identified as Yew Siew Poh, 62.
Zaiham said they first thought of putting her up at a hotel in Bandar Bentong, but could not due to the MCO.
“We then decided to put her up at the police headquarters. We set up a room in our Police Family Association house where she stayed temporarily. The space is normally used by new recruits before they are assigned a permanent home,” he said.
The cops also provided her with food and drinks.
According to reports in The Star, when policemen came to check on her in the morning, they found she had left.
They later learnt that she had rented a small room nearby.
“On June 14, the woman had successfully rented a room in Kampung Kemansur. I then dispatched an Amanita (Women Peace Police Squad) team to find her. She is doing fine and is safe in her new accommodation which cost RM200 a month.
“To be honest, we were more than willing to let her stay with us for as long as she wanted, it was not an issue. Maybe, she felt a bit serba salah (guilty),” he said.
Word of the good deed spread online following a Facebook post by the Bentong police. Social activist Kuan Chee Heng re-shared it on his page.
His post has been shared more than 230 times, with around 3,700 likes.
“The video was actually for our own records. But when it reached ‘Uncle Kentang’ (Kuan), the reaction grew.
“It’s not like we were actively seeking publicity but if others shared it, all I can say is thank you very much,” said Zaiham.
On his Facebook page, Kuan applauded the selfless act.
“They treated her like their own mother and bought her drinks and food as well. The auntie called me and cried, thanking the police for helping her and treating her with love,” he said.