Woman claims JB checkpoint officers demanded ‘fine’ from her & her travel companion
After directing a driver to a “lorries lane”, officers at a land checkpoint in Johor Bahru (JB) allegedly demanded a “fine” of RM600 (S$170.53).
The police officers eventually settled for RM500 (S$142.10) before assisting them back to the car lane.
Posting about the incident online, the woman urged other drivers from Singapore to be wary of such officers.
Singaporean woman claims JB checkpoint officers demanded fine
The OP posted to the MY SG Road Trip – Your Malaysia Road Trip Guide group on Facebook, stating that the incident occurred recently at one of the land checkpoints at JB.
Source:Facebook
She shared that the incident started when she was heading back to Singapore and was waiting in the car lane.
A few “policemen” then opened a lane designated for lorries on the left side of the road before instructing them to drive into it.
The car that the woman was on followed another Singapore-registered vehicle into the lane, which led to a “deserted side road beside the customs”.
“When we looked around, we were surprised to see only two cars including us in the deserted area,” the OP said.
She shared that an officer in uniform then called his colleague via radio. Arriving on a motorcycle, the second officer asked them when they entered the lane.
The OP responded that the officers had opened the lane up and asked them to proceed. She added that she didn’t know it would lead them to “unauthorised counters”.
Officer held onto driver’s passport & driving licence
“We immediately felt unsafe and knew the policemen were in cahoots,” the OP recounted.
A short while later, the officer asked the driver for their driving licence and passport, adding that he would “help” them get back to the lane for cars.
In return, he asked for RM600 (S$170.53), saying it was a “fine” for driving on an unauthorised lane.
“He said otherwise we have to go to the office and lodge a report,” the OP said. “We still have to pay the fine at the office and our data will be recorded in the police system which is not good for us.”
When the OP’s companion said they would pay the fine via official channels, the officer allegedly ignored them. He also kept on to the passport.
The OP and her companion ended up paying RM500 (S$142.10) and the officer later guided them back to the car lane by blocking off traffic.
Calling it a “lesson learnt”, the OP said the ordeal taught them to be “extra careful” with uniformed authorities in Malaysia.
She urged drivers from Singapore to take note of the incident and to exercise caution when in similar circumstances.
MS News has reached out to the OP for more information on the incident.
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Featured image adapted from Wikipedia for illustration purposes only.
