PETALING JAYA: Police are searching for a man who was heard berating a beer promoter inside a hypermarket in a video which went viral recently, reported Malay Mail.

Ampang Jaya district police chief Asst Comm Hamzah Alias confirmed to the news portal on Tuesday (Nov 20) that an investigation is currently ongoing.

"We are still trying to locate the individual involved. Investigations are being carried out under Section 509 of the Penal Code," Malay Mail quoted him as saying.

Section 509 of the Penal Code deals with offences where words or gestures are used with the intention to insult the modesty of a person, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence, a fine, or both upon conviction.

The 45-second video clip shows a man, whose face is not shown but voice can be heard clearly, walking towards a promoter giving out free samples of beer at the alcohol section of the hypermarket, believed to be in Ampang.

In the video clip, the man is heard asking the promoter if she "promotes the beer to anyone", to which the woman calmly replies, "no, I choose non-Muslims".

As the promoter replies calmly in English, the man criticises her and insists that she speaks in Bahasa Melayu because this is "Bumi Melayu".

She then asks the man if he is being racist.

After a short exchange, he makes an obscene hand gesture and spews obscenity at her before walking away.

The video clip was circulated on various Facebook pages and groups, with hundreds of Malaysians defending the promoter's actions.

It was also reported earlier that Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching called on the public not to share pictures of the man's child and family.

Teo said the public should not share pictures or details of the child, such as where the child studies.

"Let's end hatred in society, and please do not bring it (into) the school," she said.

Teo also said that the promoter did not deserve such treatment and the man's actions were uncalled for.

"Let's learn from the girl and do not repeat the mistake of (the shopper)," she said.

Many people have condemned the man's actions and praised the girl for her composure during the incident.

However, others have shared his personal details on social media, including his phone number, workplace, and pictures of his wife and daughter.

The man has since deactivated his Facebook account and deleted many pictures from his Instagram account.