Authorities in Malaysia have arrested the founder of a controversial dating app under anti-prostitution laws.
The police did not reveal the name of the arrested person, but according to local media and the Sugarbook application site, the founder is called Darren Chan, 34.
The application offers to facilitate acquaintance with young women and elderly men who provide them with financial support.
Last week, the app’s owners boasted of the participation of thousands of female students.
However, the app sparked public outrage, which led to its subsequent disruption.
The founder was arrested in Kuala Lumpur. The man was later released, but the local newspaper “Straits Times” said he was arrested again on Thursday.
He is not believed to have issued any statement since his suspension, but on Tuesday he wrote on his Twitter account: “Although we do not have any kind of nudity, porn or prostitution content, we lost the battle.”
“We believe that our government in Malaysia knows what is best for people,” he added.
The app raises the slogan “Where romance meets money,” and says that it offers users a “money-based relationship,” in which each party “determines what they want in exchange for financial support.”
He defines himself as “a network of social relations that helps to establish beneficial relationships with the elite of society.”
Last week, he said on Facebook that thousands of female students from the 10 largest universities in Malaysia had begun using the app to establish relationships with men who provided them with financial aid.
A newspaper quoted Police Chief Fadel Ahmed as saying, “We are investigating the issue of publishing or circulating any statement, rumor, or report with the aim of creating fear or anxiety in the public, and sharing offensive or dangerous content, and prostitution.”
Malaysian authorities blocked the Sugar Book website on Tuesday, saying that regulations for internet use had ended.
The app, which was founded in 2016, is used in a number of countries, including Singapore, Thailand and the United States.