Singaporean woman alleges Malaysian police extorted RM500 during border crossing

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman, Irene Teo, recently shared her harrowing experience on Facebook, alleging that several Malaysian police officers extorted RM500 (US$107) from her while she was returning to Singapore.

Irene recounted the incident in a Facebook group, MY SG Road Trip – Your Malaysia Road Trip Guide, on Tuesday (12 Mar).

She explained that they were waiting in the car lane towards the immigration customs in Johor Bahru (JB) when they observed the lorry lane on the left being opened by Malaysian policemen.

They were instructed to drive on this newly-opened lane, along with another Singaporean-registered car.

However, to her surprise, the lane led them to a deserted side road beside the customs, where only two cars, including theirs, were present.

Feeling uneasy, Irene observed as a policeman in uniform radioed his colleague, who arrived riding a motorcycle.

They were then interrogated about using the unauthorized route back to Singapore.

“We told him the police opened the lorry lane and asked us to proceed. We didn’t know it lead us to the unauthorized counters,” Irene said.

By this point, Irene expressed feeling “unsafe” and came to the realization that the policemen had likely coordinated their actions in advance.

She claimed that one of the officers demanded her driving license and passport, promising to assist her in returning to the car lane at the immigration customs.

However, the officer then demanded RM600 (US$128) as a ‘fine’ for driving in an unauthorized lane.

He warned Irene that if she didn’t pay, she would have to go to the police station, file a report, pay the fine, and have her personal details recorded, which he insinuated would be detrimental to her.

“We told him we could go to the office to pay the fine officially but he simply ignored us,” she said.

Feeling coerced and left with little choice, Irene reluctantly handed over RM500 to the officer. Subsequently, he escorted her back to the car lane.

Another motorist pays RM100

Another user, Sage, also shares their experience, revealing that they were actually the other car caught up in the same situation with Irene, facing the JB policeman who attempted to extort money.

“Luckily we have the footage,” Sage said.

Sage explained that they were initially queuing in the correct lane, patiently awaiting their turn, when they observed some policemen tampering with the barrier.

Then, one of the officers began shining his torch at them, signaling for them to move into the lorry lane.

“At first, we hesitated, but after he insisted with his hand gestures, we went for it,” Sage added.

Several cars behind them followed suit.

It appears that only Irene’s car ended up following Sage’s car through the entire ordeal, while the others might have merged back with the rest of the traffic.

“Bad luck hit us hard,” Sage remarked.

“I was in the car with my boyfriend’s mom and him, first-timers driving to JB in a Singapore car. They were totally shocked and confused. My boyfriend’s mom was worried,” Sage recounted.

As a Malaysian, Sage asserted familiarity with how these officers operate and what they seek, engaging in a heated argument with one of them in Bahasa.

After a prolonged dispute, Sage managed to pay RM100 (US$21) only to retrieve their boyfriend’s license.

Otherwise, the police threatened to withhold their license, repeating the same threats citing the presence of many cars behind.

“He’s just talking nonsense, nothing makes sense,” Sage remarked, reflecting on the officer’s irrational statements.

Sage provided practical tips based on their experience to help others confronted with similar situations.

These included acting clueless, feigning financial hardship or language barriers to deter the officers, and refusing to comply with directives to change lanes unless fully confident in doing so.

Sage hopes their insights will aid others in avoiding similar predicaments, providing a silver lining to an otherwise distressing encounter.

Netizens share experiences and offer advice on alleged police extortion incident

Many netizens voiced their opinions in response to Irene’s post, sharing their own experiences and offering advice.

One netizen recounted a similar encounter, expressing lack of surprise at Irene’s ordeal.

They recalled being extorted by police during their first trip to JB with colleagues.

The police had stopped them without reason, demanded their passports, and refused to return them until they paid RM500 (US$107).

Despite only having RM80 (US$17), the police took the cash and released them.

Another netizen suggested a proactive approach when facing such incidents, advising to start recording video footage openly or discreetly to safeguard oneself.

A different netizen recommended gathering the details of officers involved if stopped by police, such as their ID number or full name.

However, they acknowledged the challenge in Irene’s case without a dashboard camera, as reporting the incident might result in the police distorting the story to protect themselves.

Amidst the suggestions, another netizen urged Irene to report the incident, expressing hope that Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi would take notice and intervene.

It is noted that Irene had sent an email to Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, expressing her hope for his intervention in addressing the situation, as reported by Mothership.

Additionally, Irene mentioned reaching out to the son of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, via Instagram.

Johor Police Chief confirms awareness of viral footage, vows action against alleged misuse of power and bribery

According to the New Straits Times, Johor Police Chief Commissioner M. Kumar has officially confirmed that the police are aware of the footage uploaded and shared on various social media platforms.

He emphasized the Johor Police’s commitment to addressing the issue, stating that they are eager to get in touch with the woman involved.

“Attempts have been made to contact Teo, but she is yet to respond. We have also recorded statements from the policemen manning traffic during the alleged incident,” he said.

“If the allegations are true, it will be investigated thoroughly without compromise. We do not tolerate any form of misuse of power and acts of alleged bribery,” he added.