Founder of Sugar Daddy Platform Sugarbook Arrested by Malaysia Police

A sugar baby is what some would call their stomachs after one too many slices of cake, but in the online world, it means something completely different.

In the last decade or so, sugar daddy platforms have grown in popularity alongside dating apps like Tinder.

For the unacquainted, a sugar relationship is a transactional relationship where an older, wealthier person provides financial support to a younger person in exchange for companionship and favours, which can be sexual.

While it’s often frowned upon by society, the arrangement isn’t illegal.

And that’s why this arrest must have come as a surprise to most.

Founder of Sugar Daddy Platform Sugarbook Arrested by Malaysia Police

The Malaysian police have arrested the 34-year-old founder of Sugarbook, a sugar daddy dating online platform.

The police said they were investigating the site for suspected prostitution, as complainants claimed that thousands of university students had signed up as sugar babies.

The dating app is also said to have violated Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities or network service.

According to Malaysian media, Darren Chan was arrested on Wednesday (17 Feb) at a condominium in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur at about 4.30pm.

“In our preliminary investigations, the suspect admitted to being the founder of the application Sugarbook,” Selangor state criminal investigations chief Fadzil Ahmat told Reuters.

Website Blocked After Controversial Article was Published

According to The Rakyat Post, Sugarbook first garnered controversy after publishing a list of “Top 10 Sugar Baby Universities” that listed the universities in Malaysia with the highest number of sugar babies.

This provoked the ire of both government officials and the universities listed, particularly Sunway University, which came in first on the list.

“We are truly disappointed about a recent article about a company that challenges the moral fabric of our community and of our youth,” university rep Elizabeth Lee said in the statement.

“We condemn their attempts to encourage youth to partake in immorality, normalise this notion and disregard the mental health impact this causes,” she added.

Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry also slammed the article, saying the numbers listed on there seemed improbable.

“Sunway Education Group said it is impossible that 45 per cent of its Sunway University (one of the universities listed) students are involved as sugar babies.

“This is as the number of students at Sunway University is fewer than 7,000. As such, reports that 3,105 of the university’s students are sugar babies are not reasonable.”

Then, on 15 Feb, the authorities blocked access to Sugarbook’s website, posting a notification on the website that indicated a violation of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA).

Rearrested to Help With Rape & Prostitution Investigations

Mr Fadzil said the site was being investigated for “publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public, sharing offensive or menacing content, and prostitution.”

After the High Court rejected an application to keep him in remand, Chan was rearrested in relation to an incident in Subang Jaya on 19 Feb 2019.

The police said he was needed to facilitate investigations into rape and prostitution cases involving a university student.

The complainant is a university student, Mr Fadzil said.

While access to the site has been blocked, the Sugarbook developer has allegedly set up an alternative site to grant users access.

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