Japanese body builder fleeced by "call girl" in Kota Kinabalu

The suspects

KOTA KINABALU - A 34-year-old Japanese body builder was left RM2,000 poorer after he picked up a "call girl" at the red light area here.

To make things worse, Takashi Isihara could not understand English and the local dialect which led him to assume that policemen were part of a gang who fleeced him of US$65 (RM283.40), RM1,400, Yen10, 000 (RM367.60) at about 3pm on Jan 5.

The incident that went viral on social networks after Takashi, who is Asian Body Builder Federation vice-president, posted on Facebook.

City police chief Asst Comm M. Chandra said Takashi misunderstood the presence of undercover policemen who were at the scene on a drug raid.

Earlier, Takashi was approached by a woman who complimented on his "nice body."

He followed her to her room in a shoplot upstairs in Kampung Air and was confronted by four men who took his money and other belongings. The men and the woman then left him in the room.

Takashi chased after the suspects to ask for his money. An argument broke out between them as a group of policemen in civilian clothes approached and one of them showed his badge.

The policemen told Takashi to lodge a report but he apparently could not understand English.

Later, Takashi went to the Karamunsing station to lodge a report and was shocked to see the same group of policemen there.

ACP Chandra said Takashi must have thought that the policemen were with the gang so he left the station, only to return later to lodge a report as advised by a local friend.

“Investigations showed that at the time of alleged incident, a team of policemen from the narcotics division were at the area carrying out undercover work and Ops Tapis against drug abuse,” ACP Chandra said.

Following the report, police arrested five people including a 29-year-old woman and four men aged 20 to 34 between midnight and 3am on Jan 6.