KUALA LUMPUR: A crowd of protesters dispersed after gathering for the ‘Nab A Thief’ (#TangkapPencuri) rally near Sogo shopping mall.

The crowd trickled into the mall at about 2pm on Saturday (April 14), but police personnel from the Dang Wangi Police HQ were already on standby. Their gathering was interrupted as police stepped in and asked the group to disperse.

The organisers, “Anak Muda Cari Jho Low” (AMCJL) were seen negotiating for the police on a set amount of time to gather.

Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu arrived on the scene at about 3pm.

The situation temporarily looked heated as protesters ignored police advice and ramped up the rally with a pickup truck that they used as a platform to give speeches.

The police Light Strike Unit were then seen taking their places to stop the protesters from marching. However, a compromise was reached as the crowd were given a certain amount of time to gather at Dataran Sogo, and to disperse without marching.

The crowd dispersed at around 4pm, after they handed over a memorandum to the police.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Shaharuddin Abdullah said that some 200 policemen were on hand to ensure that nothing "untoward" occurred.

"We monitored the crowd that gathered. The organisers complied with our orders and dispersed when told to do so," he said when met at the scene.

He added that organisers sent a notice on the rally last week.

"They failed to meet some requirements including obtaining permission from the venue owners - Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the management of the Sogo shopping mall," he said.

ACP Shaharuddin said police will be calling up the organisers soon as the rally was deemed illegal.

One of the event organisers, Amir Abd Hadi, said the gathering was a success and that the Malaysian people have shown their unhappiness by turning up at the rally.