He said police had opened an investigation paper.

“The investigation is under Section 298(A) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat.

Section 298(A) of the Penal Code refers to causing disharmony on the grounds of religion, while Section 233 of CMA 1998 cites misuse of network facilities to cause offence.

Shamsul said the ministry took this issue seriously and inspections at all KK Mart convenience stores nationwide had been conducted, adding that the retailer had removed the socks from the shelves of all its branches nationwide.

“However, further investigations are being carried out on the management and vendors involved to ensure these socks are not available anywhere else,” he said.

Last Saturday, KK Mart issued an apology after the socks bearing the word “Allah” were found on sale at its stores.

The founder and executive chairman of KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd, KK Chai, was reported to have said the incident was unexpected.