Malaysian man strip-searched after being suspected of drug smuggling due to numerous Thai entry stamps on his passport
A Malaysian traveller alleged that he was detained, interrogated, strip-searched, and X-rayed at Semarang’s Jenderal Ahmad Yani International Airport after customs officers grew suspicious of his passport filled with Thai entry stamps.
Recounting his experience on Threads on 27 Oct, the man said arrival formalities went smoothly until, after scanning the All Indonesia Arrival Card QR code, an officer flipped through his passport.
Noticing the numerous Thai immigration stamps, the officer pulled him aside.
“They asked if I was sick. I said no. Then two customs officers brought me into a special room for questioning. That’s when the nightmare began,” he wrote.
Man undergoes intense questioning and search of belongings
The officers asked detailed questions about his trip — why he came to Semarang, how many times he had visited Indonesia, his occupation, and the company he worked for.
They requested his flight ticket, hotel booking, and train reservation, and they even kept his passport.
Because his pre-booked airport driver was already waiting, he had to message the driver to ask him to wait as he had been detained for checks.
Source: @mreetrav88 on Threads
The interrogation grew more intense as officers asked for his company website and employee ID, which he didn’t have with him.
They then searched his bag and wallet, temporarily confiscating his debit cards and cash of around 2 million rupiah (S$156), which was later returned to him.
Told to undress for inspection and submit urine test
“They told me to go into a small room and take off all my clothes for inspection. Thankfully, it didn’t go as far as what you see on TV. No invasive checks,” he said.
Escorted to the toilet, he provided a urine sample.
Officers then checked his Telegram and WhatsApp groups and chats, including with friends in Jakarta, to verify he wasn’t involved in drug smuggling.
A senior officer later joined the investigation and took photos of his flight ticket and hotel booking.
His debit cards were returned, but he was informed he needed to go to the airport hospital for an X-ray scan to confirm there were no foreign substances in his body.
“Before leaving, they even checked my photo gallery to ensure I hadn’t taken pictures of them, but luckily, it was clean,” he added.
X-ray clears man, customs covers transport
Three customs officers escorted him to the airport hospital for the X-ray. One of them even used his phone to call his airport transport driver, asking him to wait.
Source: Gwengoat on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
After the scan came back clear, officers returned his passport and said the checks were standard security procedure.
When his airport driver didn’t answer, they booked him a Grab and covered both the hospital and transport costs.
“Only after I got into the Grab did my driver text me, asking where I was. I told him to just complete the order,” he recounted.
“I felt bad for making him wait so long. I really didn’t expect to be interrogated like that.”
‘Scary but valuable lesson’
The man said the ordeal ruined his travel mood, so he spent the day quietly wandering around Semarang’s Kota Lama, near his hotel.
He concluded the story by calling it a “scary but valuable lesson”.
He reminded travellers to stay calm, cooperate fully, and always have documents and bookings ready when passing through customs.
Also read: Passengers collect wrong luggage at Bangkok airport, discover 24kg of cannabis inside
Passengers collect wrong luggage at Bangkok airport, discover 24kg of cannabis inside
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