A rubbish truck driver and four Bangladeshi workers were detained on Monday for "flying the Malaysian flag upside down" in front of their lorry.

Gombak police chief ACP Arifai Tarawe said police received a complaint from a 36-year-old man over the matter.

He said the complainant had stopped the lorry and reprimanded the driver while recording the incident in front of a mosque in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang, on Monday before the video went viral on social media.

"Subsequently, the complainant lodged a police report and an investigation paper was opened under Section 504 of the Penal Code, Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act and Section 15(1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959.

"Apart from detaining the 48-year-old truck driver, four Bangladeshi men aged between 30 and 43 who were workers of the company were also held," he said in a statement.

Arifai said all suspects were detained for further investigations.