March 14, 2024, 12:30 PM
The Malaysian police are looking to contact a Singaporean woman who alleged that Johor Bahru officers extorted RM500 (S$142) from her.
The woman, Irene Teo, claimed on Facebook that the officers purposely misdirected the car she was in, which was bound for the Woodlands checkpoint on Mar. 10, 2024.
They allegedly forced her to pay the sum in order to return to the correct lane which would take her home.
A passenger from another car involved offered a corroborating account, along with dashboard camera footage of the incident.
Police are on it
"Attempts have been made to contact Teo, but she is yet to respond," Johor Police Chief Commissioner M Kumar informed New Straits Times.
He revealed that the police have also recorded statements from the policemen manning traffic during the alleged incident.
New Straits Times noted there were no recordings of the alleged extortion attempt itself.
M Kumar added that the police are aware of the footage that was uploaded and shared on social media.
"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."
What supposedly happened
The case was first brought to light via Teo's post on the Facebook group "MY SG Road Trip - Your Malaysia Road Trip Guide", a group with more than 77,000 members as of Mar. 14, 2024.
Teo said that upon nearing Malaysia's immigration checkpoint, her car was ushered into an empty lorry lane.
Officers who looked to be "in cahoots" then allegedly confiscated her partner's passport and driving license.
An officer supposedly demanded they pay a "fine" of RM600 (S$170) in return for him "helping" to escort them back to the right lane.
Teo ended up paying RM500 (S$142), as that was all they had.
A passenger from another "targeted" Singapore car also claimed that they were similarly approached.
After arguing for a long time with an officer in Malay, this other person managed to only pay RM100 (S$28) to retrieve their documents.
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Top images via @momochan9321/TikTok
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