KUALA LUMPUR – Local business chain Hubmeal has made itself a target of public ire after attempting to market its product on the back of the 6-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin’s murder.
In a now-deleted post on X, Hubmeal, which operates several outlets nationwide selling fried chicken, referenced investigations into Zayn’s death while advertising its product.
“Reading about Zayn Rayyan’s case. What a mystery. Hoping for the best for the deceased,” @hubmealchicken said in its post, believed to have been uploaded earlier today.
“If you’re tired of thinking, take a break with Hubmeal’s Shaker Fries.
“After that, you can continue while eating,” it added in the same post, featuring a video of a woman promoting the fries.
While the post has been removed, X users did not take kindly to the “insensitive” marketing strategy, with many calling for a boycott of the brand while raining admonishments on the account’s social media manager.
Netizens took to commenting on Hubmeal’s previous post on the platform prior to the offending tweet, urging the company to issue an apology and berating it for “lacking empathy”.
Local actress and singer Diana Danielle also expressed her condemnation of the marketing gimmick, tweeting: “Using Zayn Rayyan’s issue for exposure to sell their products is disgusting. Block and report.”
Scoop has reached out to Hubmeal for a response to the backlash.
On December 6 last year, Zayn Rayyan’s body was found at a stream near his home at Idaman Apartments in Damansara Damai the day after he was reported missing.
Post-mortem results indicating defensive wounds on the child’s body led to his death being investigated as a murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
At the Petaling Jaya sessions court yesterday, Zayn’s parents, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf, pleaded not guilty to child neglect offences.
Public scrutiny of the couple, both aged 29, has since increased following a recent Telegram leak by Edisi Siasat.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan has since confirmed with Scoop that police are looking into the leak of an alleged investigation officer’s report on the case.
Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain has also reportedly said police will seek help from the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission to take down the screenshots of the leak. – June 14, 2024
