KUALA LUMPUR: For more than six months, Afiq Zakwan Johari kept his bruises hidden and remained silent. He drove his boss, a fitness centre owner, to high-profile appointments and worked long hours as a personal assistant.

But behind closed doors, Afiq and his colleagues were allegedly assaulted, often brutally, by the man they worked for.

Now, the 27-year-old has had enough and has decided to speak out. "I've had enough," Afiq said during an exclusive interview with New Straits Times at Balai Berita yesterday. "What he did to me on June 16 was the last straw.

He hit me with a treadmill cable until my body turned black-and-blue.

Featured Videos

Win a Harley Davidson motorcycle at M Nasir's upcoming concert

▶︎   1:07

Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota dies in carcrash in Spain

▶︎   0:51

4 dead, 38 missing after ferry sinks near Bali

▶︎   0:54

'You killed my sister!' Man confronts Cyberjaya university student murder suspect

▶︎   1:05

Remand extended for trio linked to Cyberjaya university student's murder

▶︎   0:43

10 express bus passengers fined for not wearing seat belts in Kelantan

▶︎   0:48

Anwar meets Muslim community in Rome

▶︎   0:54

The accused, a 37-year-old fitness instructor and gym owner, is a familiar face among the celebrity fitness circle — known for his muscular physique, booming social media presence and motivational mantras.

Injuries on Afiq’s thighs and head on June 16. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM

But Afiq and at least four other former staff members say that behind the facade of success, lies a man with anger issues.

"He would easily snap and when he snaps, he hits hard. He uses whatever is within reach, cables, his bare hands..." Afiq said, lifting his shirt sleeve to reveal faded scars on his upper arm.

Afiq, the youngest of four siblings from Kota Kemuning, joined the centre in September 2023.

At first, he said, the trainer treated him well, often surprising the workers with bonuses. "He called me his 'right-hand man'.

He was nice at first, generous even." But by the end of last year, things began to change.

Business, Afiq suspects, had slowed down and the man's frustration began to show. "He started lashing out over the smallest things," he said.

He said the abuse wasn't new. He claimed that he had been assaulted on several occasions in the office, at the trainer's home, and sometimes even in front of staff members. "I wasn't the only one.

Everyone working closely with him has been assaulted at some point. Only the cleaners were spared, probably because they don't interact with him much. He warned us that if we went to the police, he'd come after our families.

One of my colleagues tried to lodge a report last year, only to withdraw it later." Afiq, though, chose not to back down. After discussing with his family, he quit his job and went to the police.

He lodged two reports, once on June 17 at the Bukit Jelutong police station and a follow-up report on July 2. "I realised I wasn't just hurting myself by staying.

I was enabling him to continue." Following Afiq's report, four other former employees have come forward, filing similar complaints and sharing their own stories of physical and emotional abuse.

Injuries on Afiq’s thighs and head on June 16. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM

Afiq, meanwhile, had sought treatment for his injuries and was battling his emotional trauma. "I just want justice. Not just for me, but for all of us who suffered silently.

If any of us had stolen from him or done something terrible, maybe a harsh reaction could be justified. But this was nothing like that," he said.

Afiq's former employer, when contacted, shot down the allegations.

He described the claims as "lies" and said he had also lodged a report. "Let the police investigate," he said.

"Let the police investigate," he said.