JOHOR BARU: Police here will be calling up the Singaporean couple who claimed that officers at the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) here had extorted RM500 from them.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said that a Facebook user named "Irene Teo '' had alleged that they were asked to pay SD$142 (RM500) to two traffic policemen to avoid getting a summons.
“The summons was issued for the offence of entering the lorry lane at checkpoint 8A from Johor Baru to Singapore last Sunday (March 10) at 8.15pm.
"Until today, the police have not received any reports made by the victims regarding the incident," said Comm Kumar.
“We have made an official request to the Singapore Consulate-General's office in Johor Baru to help identify the Facebook users named 'Sage' and 'Irene Teo' to help with the investigation,” he said in a statement here on Thursday (March 14).
The case is being investigated under Section 384 of the Penal Code for extortion, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine, whipping, or any two punishments.
Comm Kumar added that Johor police is dedicated to fighting integrity and criminal misconduct issues among officials to boost public trust in the Royal Malaysia Police.
“Any officer suspected of committing crimes will face strict action without compromise, following the principle of legal equality outlined in Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution,” he added.
Those who have information on the incident are encouraged to call the Johor Baru South Hotline at 07-218 2323.
On Tuesday (March 12), Facebook user Irene Teo claimed that policemen in Johor Baru had extorted RM500 from her boyfriend and her.
Another Facebook user named "Sage" then posted two videos of their experience showing the alleged modus operandi used by the policemen to allegedly extort money from victims.
Both posts were made on the "MY SG Road Trip—Your Malaysia Road Trip Guide" Facebook group.
At the time of writing, both posts had been shared over 600 and 800 times, respectively.
