A man pretended to be sick to avoid extortion by two police officers at the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) in Johor Bahru (JB).
The incident came to light during a press conference at the MCA Johor headquarters last Friday, as reported by The Star. Speaking to reporters at the meeting, the 29-year-old man, Lim, recounted returning from Singapore after work on April 2. Upon clearing security, Lim was approached by two men in plain clothes claiming to be police officers. They confiscated his phone and passport, directing him to a location within BSI bearing police insignia and a tourism police logo accessible only with a special card.
Lim alleged he was detained in a room for 30 minutes, with an officer warning of "serious trouble" and imminent lock-up pending court the next day. Despite Lim's concerns about job loss and inquiries into his alleged wrongdoing, the officers reportedly ignored him.
"One officer said I'd be released for RM2,000. But I had only RM1,000 in my Malaysian or Singaporean bank account," he stated. Lim recounted being escorted by motorcycle to an ATM at a nearby petrol station to withdraw funds, which proved unsuccessful.
Subsequently, he was taken to another ATM and faced the same issue. Finally, Lim was escorted to a bank in Taman Pelangi, successfully withdrawing money for his "release."
En route back to BSI, Lim faked an asthma attack at a bus station, where a passing couple offered assistance. Directed by an officer, the couple aided Lim, who recounted the officer accidentally dropping his belongings before departing.
Lim emphasised that no money had been given and filed a police report on the incident. At the press conference, MCA Johor Youth Chief Heng Zhi Li urged authorities to probe Lim's claims. The Star later revealed the arrest and remand of the two police officers, aged 32 and 33, aiding the investigation. South Johor Baru District Police Chief Raub Selamat confirmed the extension of their remand period, initially set to conclude today, following their April 5 detention.
Source: The Star
