MELAKA: Police have snuffed out talk that an orang minyak (mystical oily man) is terrori­sing villagers in Melaka Tengah and Jasin.

Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Afnizar Ahmad said messages circulating on social media over the past two days on the so-called attacks by the orang minyak were “utter rubbish”.

“Such unfounded claims will cause unne­cessary anxiety among villagers. We will act against those who spread such lies,” he said yesterday.

ACP Afnizar said police would trace those responsible for spreading such lies under Section 211 or 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998, which carries a fine of RM50,000 or jail term of up to one year upon conviction.

Jasin OCPD Deputy Supt Arshad Abu, in dismissing such claims, said there were also no police reports received on such attacks.

He said the creature had supposedly entered five homes in the district, as claimed in a voice recording circulating on social media.

Legend has it that the orang minyak is a greasy figure with black underpants, which creeps into a room through an open window of homes.

P. Ramlee’s classic Sumpah Orang Minyak was a hit movie back in 1956.