A Malaysian man has filed a lawsuit against Lotus’s after his 38-week pregnant wife was allegedly accused by staff of hiding stolen items in her baby bump at one of the retailer’s outlets in Selayang, Selangor.
The incident, which has since gone viral on social media, involved a woman who was 38 weeks pregnant and shopping with her husband.
According to the husband, the couple had just finished paying for their groceries when a male staff member stopped them outside the cashier area and questioned his wife about what she was allegedly hiding under her clothing.
When the husband asked what she was suspected of stealing and whether anyone had witnessed the alleged theft, the staff reportedly could not provide any evidence. Instead, they asked the woman to produce her maternity health booklet (buku pink) and requested that she expose her stomach to prove she was pregnant.
The couple said they were then left standing near the checkout area for almost 20 minutes while staff attempted to contact a supervisor, with other shoppers watching the situation unfold.
No evidence, just suspicion
When the supervisor arrived, the husband confronted the cashier who had reportedly raised the suspicion. According to his account, the cashier admitted she had not seen the woman steal anything and had only become suspicious because the baby bump “didn’t look like a pregnant belly” and appeared as though goods were being concealed underneath.
Both the cashier and the male staff member later apologised to the couple.
Sharing the experience on Threads, the husband described the ordeal as one of the most humiliating moments they had ever gone through. He said the incident left his wife, who is expecting their first child and due to give birth any day, feeling as though she had been treated like a criminal despite having done nothing wrong.
‘This is just the beginning,’ husband lodges police report
The husband has since lodged a police report over the incident, saying he intends to pursue the matter further. In a social media update, he described the report as “the first step” in seeking justice for his wife, adding that what happened was not something he could simply ignore.
“What happened to my wife is not a small matter for me to turn a blind eye to. The dignity of a woman who is heavily pregnant was trampled upon with an accusation that had no evidence whatsoever.
“I believe in the process. I believe in justice. And I also believe that every action has its consequences. “This is just the beginning. InsyaAllah, there are still more steps to come,” he wrote.
Lotus’s Malaysia launches investigation
In response, Lotus’s Malaysia said it was aware of the incident and expressed regret over the distress caused.
“We are deeply sorry to learn that the matter has caused distress to the customer. We take the concerns raised very seriously,” the company said in a statement.
Lotus’s said it is conducting a comprehensive investigation to establish the full circumstances of the incident and has also reached out to the customer to better understand her experience.
The retailer added that it would not comment further while the investigation is ongoing.
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