A Singaporean husband and wife duo were allegedly stopped by traffic police in Johor Bahru, only for the officer to ask them for RM500 as a "fine" before letting them off.
The incident was reported by Shin Min Daily News, after the Chinese media received a tip-off from the Singaporean woman involved.
Stopped in broad daylight
According to the 39-year-old woman, whose surname is Cao, the couple were in Johor Bahru on Thursday, Sep. 29 when they were stopped by traffic police at around 4pm.Their location was close to the Causeway.
The traffic police officer who stopped them told them that they ran two traffic lights.
Since borders reopened, they have been to Johor Bahru three times for meals and to buy food home for their children.
This was the first time they were stopped by a policeman.
Cao said: "We thought it was just a routine inspection. After the traffic police checked my husband's driver's licence and passport, they asked me if we come to Malaysia often and whether we were familiar with the roads."
"My husband told the truth that he still had to rely on the navigation system when driving."
However, Cao also told Shin Min that her husband has always been very careful as a driver, and even more so in Malaysia.
Told they ran two red lights
The traffic police officer then claimed that the couple ran two red lights.They were then instructed to follow the police car back to the station.
Stopped under overpass
But after travelling 500m or so, the couple were made to stop under an overpass and her husband was told to exit his vehicle to negotiate with the officer.She said the traffic police officer then asked her husband to pay a fine of RM500 (S$154) on the spot.
Cao said: "At that time, my husband only had RM200 (S$61) in his wallet. After giving it to the traffic police officer, the officer suddenly took [my husband's] wallet, took out two S$50 notes, put the money in his record book and left."
Traumatised by incident
Cao said she is still afraid after the incident and does not dare go back to Malaysia in the near future.She also shared the above experience on social media.
Police taken to task
In response to Shin Min's queries, the Johor police chief said the identity of the traffic police officer involved has been confirmed and he has been transferred out and that the incident will be taken seriously.An investigation will be launched, he said.
The police chief added that the police officer has been transferred to a position where he will not have contact with the public.
Once investigations are completed, the force will take disciplinary action against the officer involved and he may be dismissed as a result.
However, he added that it will be more effective to prove what happened if the Singaporean couple involved could step forward to provide relevant information and cooperate with the Malaysia police.
Top photo via Shin Min Daily News
