Two burly men confronted him — one wearing a helmet, the other unhelmeted — and assaulted him while a third calmly filmed the attack on a mobile phone.
Haresh said he had a fleeting suspicion something was amiss as he approached his car.
He noticed the men behaving strangely, and they are believed to have been waiting for him outside.
Sensing trouble, Haresh ran but was knocked down by a third man. He fell to the ground as the two men attacked him.
He said the man who brought him down used his mobile phone to record the assault.
Haresh suffered punches and kicks as he fell to the ground, leaving him with injuries to his nose and elbow. No belongings were taken.
The assault has raised sharp questions among colleagues and the wider media community.
How did the attackers know his movements? Did they follow him from his office in Ampang?
Were they waiting for him, or did they happen upon him by chance? The answers remain unclear.
The combination of one helmeted assailant, a second without a helmet, and a third person filming the incident suggests a brazen, unusual act — though police have yet to confirm any motive.
Haresh’s business partner, Pearl Lee said: “Even without knowing the intent, the logistics of this assault — the timing, location, and the presence of a ‘cameraman’ — are highly disturbing.
“It sends a chilling signal to journalists everywhere.”
Haresh has spent 25 years reporting on governance and accountability, co-founding Twentytwo13 with Pearl.
His recent work includes investigative reporting on Malaysian sport, particularly governance issues and the national football team’s naturalisation scandal.
While no link has been established between his journalism and the attack, the circumstances have triggered concern across the media fraternity.
Media groups condemned the assault as a bold act of intimidation.
They emphasised that attacks on journalists threaten not just individual safety but also the public’s right to accurate, pressure-free information.
Observers note that even questions about whether the assailants trailed Haresh, how they anticipated his movements, and why one wore a helmet while the other did not are unnerving in themselves.
“Today it was Haresh,” Pearl said. “Tomorrow, it could be any journalist who dares to report the truth.”
The incident leaves a stark reminder: journalism, even in broad daylight, can carry real-world risks.
And when violence intersects with the act of recording it, the message — intentional or otherwise — is impossible to ignore.
*Those who have information regarding the incident may contact the investigating officer ASP Mohd Adnan Alias at 019-216 2272 or provide it to the Brickfields district police hotline at 03-2297 9222, the Kuala Lumpur contingent police hotline at 03-2115 9999, or any nearby police station.