THE Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) is working with the International Police (Interpol) and the National Central Bureau (NCB) Moscow Unit in an attempt to identify the Russian couple who claimed they scaled the Merdeka 118 tower in December last year.
The Dang Wangi District police chief assistant commissioner Noor Dellhan Yahaya said that so far the police have recorded the statements of 13 individuals, including the tower staff involved.
“We have requested the help of Interpol for confirmation as well as the help of NCB Moscow to trace the identity of the two suspects involved.
“In addition, we are also waiting for the analysis report of the couple’s video by Cyber Security. The authenticity has not been confirmed yet,” said Noor on Wednesday (Jan 24) during the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters (IPD) Media Day.
On Jan 1, FocusM reported that the police believed there was a possibility that the viral clip showing a daredevil Russian couple scaling the world’s second tallest building, the Merdeka 118, had been edited digitally.
While questioning the authenticity of the videos, Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief Datuk Yahaya Othman said the management of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), the owner of the tower, informed the police that it would have been impossible for anyone to enter the premises or climb the structure due to very tight security.
In December 2022, a photo of the Russian couple, Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, taken from the top of the second tallest building in the world was uploaded on the website SkyscraperCity.com.
On the other hand, the couple said they did climb the building and refuted claims by some Malaysians that the video showing them on top of the building was a fake.
Ivan and Angela took to social media to share videos of themselves atop the structure that will become the world’s second-tallest structure.
Other daredevils posted videos they say were taken during their climb of the Merdeka 118.
Nevertheless, the police advised the owners to take steps to prevent another occurrence of climbers getting in.
“We advise the management of any building that is the focus to increase and tighten security controls,” added Noor. — Jan 25, 2023
Main photo credit: NST
