A 27-year-old quantity surveyor Ahmad Abd Jalil was purportedly detained by police late last night under the Sedition Act for allegedly insulting the Johor sultan in his Facebook page.

According to a family member who declined to be named, Ahmad was detained in Kuala Lumpur and transferred to Johor the same night.

Ahmad Abd Jalil 2 The family member claimed that Ahmad ( left ) was picked up by several plainclothes officers at his office in Cheras at around 10pm and was brought to the Wangsa Maju police station for questioning.

"He was later brought to his parent's home in Damansara Damai, where the police carried out a search on all computers and laptops in the house before leaving for Johor," said the family member when contacted by Malaysiakini.

According to the family's lawyer, Ahmad was brought before a Johor Baru magistrate in the morning and remanded for three days for further investigation.

As at 3pm today, an attempt to meet Ahmad by his parents was denied by the police in Johor Bahru, lamented the family member.

Just an ordinary guy

Ahmad's family has expressed deep concern for his safety as he is not a "famous or well-known personality" but just an ordinary person.

"We are worried about Ahmad's safety where there is a risk of direct interference from the palace during the remand period," said the family member, who lives in Kuala Lumpur.

"If someone who is well-known or famous, his safety is almost assured because of the spotlight in the alternative media, but for an ordinary youth like Ahmad, we need an assurance of his safety from the police," he added.

The family member said while they are confident of the force's professionalism, they are unsure whether the police in Johor could stop any “interference” from the palace.

"We don't mind if Ahmad is being remanded at any police station other than in Johor - unless there is an assurance of his safety," he added.