In a statement released today, Chief Minister Musa Aman announced the ban on the convicted serial rapist, saying he was not welcomed in Sabah because he could potentially pose a danger to the public, especially women and children.

Selva Kumar, who is also believed to have sexually assaulted up to 1,000 women from the 1980s until his arrest in 1991, arrived in Malaysia today after his deportation from Canada.

He completed his 24-year prison sentence in Toronto on Jan 29 and had been detained by the Canadian border services agency pending his deportation.

“We just cannot take the risk of having such a potentially dangerous individual on the loose. We must protect our citizens,” Musa said.

He added that the directive to the state immigration would be enforced immediately.

Selva Kumar arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 7.30am today and will be staying in Kuala Lumpur for the time being. It was previously reported that he would be going to his hometown, Penang, after returning to Malaysia.

Bukit Aman said they would keep an eye on Selva Kumar and monitor his movements.

News of his return has not gone down well with Malaysians, many of whom have called for a sex offender registry to be established to create public awareness about the presence of other such criminals.