It’s no secret that there are bad eggs in the Malaysian police force, though it is truly saddening to still hear that there may be officers out there who are asking for bribes.
Taking to Lemon8, a Singaporean girl, Marissa, alleges that Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) officers had asked her for a bribe of RM10,000 because she didn’t have her passport with her while grocery shopping at a retail park in Iskandar Puteri, Johor.
She wrote, “I was sitting in my friend’s Malaysian car plate car the other day. Driving our of Sunway Big Box (Medini) at 6:30pm when there was still light. We were heading back to his house to cook after grocery shopping. When we exited the mall (I felt like someone was stalking us), I had a very weird feeling and I told my friend my concerns. But at that point, we didnāt think much of it and brushed it off.”
“While on the way to the first traffic light, I saw a police car that was parked along the road. We were driving at a very conservative speed and the car didn’t have anything that is illegal inside. Awhile later, we observed that the same police car was kind of tailing behind us but kept a distance.”
Though, soon after, the police car had turned on their sirens and stopped their vehicle. The officers then asked the driver, Marissa’s friend, to get down from the car.Ā
“I saw that they had a ‘box’ system to check on the driver’s particulars. My friend and I are Singaporean but we were driving his family’s car. I think while tailing us, they were checking the car’s ownership in their system.”
“Anyway, they asked for our passports, there were 5 of them, 1 of them was guarding the passenger seat (I didn’t alight). I think it’s their lucky day, they kept saying that because I didn’t bring my passport, I needed to pay them money,” she explained.
This image is for illustration purposes only.
Considering the fact that her friend’s family home was nearby, they choose to only bring a small amount of money with them.
“But, the officer kept insisting on paying him the price of RM10,000?? Or else I’ll be banned from entering Malaysia for the next 5 years.”
Marissa then told the officers that she was willing to head to a bank and withdraw the money, and suggested that the officers follow behind their vehicle.Ā
“But, the officer got scared and demanded for us to pay him all the cash that we had, which was our tuition fees. He was teaching us how to get about Malaysian law, that was what he claimed,”
“Long story short, as we were both very tired, I took out around RM500 and passed it to them so that they’ll let us go,” she added.
This image is for illustration purposes only.
Marissa also shared that, after speaking to her Malaysians friends, she was told that police officers will allegedly not follow people to the bank to withdraw money as there are CCTVs that can capture evidence of the wrongdoing.
“In Malaysia, everyone (drivers and passengers) must bring their passports or ICs at all times (even for short distances like mine). SingPass is apparently not recognised by the Malaysian side.”
“Disclaimer, I’m not trying to offend or spoil the reputation of the country. After all, we’re still tourists and it’s best to abide by their laws. This is just my pricey experience that I don’t wish on other tourists. Malaysia is and has always been a very beautiful and enjoyable country to go to,” she ended.
If what she recounted is true, we genuinely hope that the authorities look into this and take the appropriate action against the officers involved.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: Māsian Man Jumps Out of Moving E-Hailing Ride for the Second Time to Avoid Payment & Police
