“Yes, there was a system disruption, but no one has demanded any money or ransom,” mayor Maimunah Sharif was quoted by Harian Metro as saying.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa said no reports have been received over the incident.

Previously, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai claimed that DBKL’s online systems were hacked and that the perpetrators had demanded a ransom of US$55 million.

According to China Press, Tan said he received the information from a “trusted source” and is confident the incident did take place.

Maimunah had said earlier the disruption affected public access to several DBKL systems, with recovery expected to take place gradually.

Reports said several MPs urged DBKL to explain the prolonged disruption of its online services, which forced DBKL to switch to manual operations in some critical business areas.

Malaysiakini reported that based on public notices sent out by DBKL, the problem was believed to have started about three weeks ago, when DBKL told clients to use alternative payment platforms instead of its platforms.