SEPANG: Additional officers from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will be stationed at both terminals of the KL International Airport to address the increasing incidences of taxi touts targeting foreign tourists.
At a press conference held at KLIA’s Terminal 2 here yesterday, JPJ Director-General Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli reported that a special operation took place between June 12 and 26.
“We received reports indicating that victims were being deceived by these touts, who charged exorbitant fees for transport to Kuala Lumpur. What would typically cost RM80 was inflated to between RM500 and RM800, and victims were prevented from leaving the vehicles if they did not pay.”
“This operation focused on both terminals and was conducted in collaboration with the Transport Ministry and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).
“Our officers conducted undercover operations and received assistance from non-Malaysians to identify these touts. During the operation, we inspected 59 vehicles, with 54 seized for engaging in these activities.”
Of the 54 vehicles seized, 27 were privately owned, and 16 were registered as e-hailing vehicles.
He said foreign touts, specifically from Bangladesh, were also detected.
“We found that they often targeted fellow Bangladeshis because of their shared language,” he explained.
JPJ statistics from January to June revealed that 133 vehicles had also been seized for involvement in touting activities.
