PDRM Officer Allegedly Extorts RM200 From China Tourist Who Left Her Passport In Her Hotel
According to the Chinese tourist, she had left her passport at her hotel room for safekeeping.
By Deborah Chan — 03 Apr 2023, 02:28 PM
A tourist from China was allegedly extorted RM200 when she failed to present her passport to a police officer on Friday, 31 March
In a video published on China Press, the woman was seen explaining a situation that transpired during her visit in Malaysia.
According to the woman, she was on her way back to her hotel with a couple of Malaysian friends at around 11pm when they noticed a police car tailing them, causing the driver to pull over.
An armed police officer approached their car and asked the group for their identification cards (ICs).
The woman replied that she was from China, prompting him to ask for her passport instead.
The woman then explained that she had left her passport in her hotel room, and offered to show her driver's licence and other identification cards instead.
The police officer then insisted that he needed to see the immigration stamp issued by Malaysian authorities, or she'd have to be detained at the police station.
The woman tried contacting the China embassy, but to no avail.
The woman said the driver then suggested she should try paying off the officer
The woman, however, wasn't carrying cash. So the driver offered to lend her all the cash he had on hand.
The tourist said at first she tried to offer the officer RM100, but he said no. Then she tried to give him RM200. The woman's friend then stepped in and spoke to the officer in Malay, explaining that was all they had.
She said the officer then ended up taking the RM200 and letting them go.
The woman then took to her account on Chinese app Xiaohongshu to document her experience. However, as of writing, the video has since been taken down.
The woman said that she had never encountered anything like this while travelling in other countries, and acknowledged the importance of keeping her passport with her at all times
"My Malaysian friends told me that if you aren't carrying cash in these situations, the officer would bring you to an ATM to withdraw cash," said the woman in the video.
She was also told that refusing to give them any cash would result in an overnight detainment.
"I now realise that I must always have my passport on me. I've visited over 20 countries and studied in the UK, and it wasn't until I came to Malaysia that I found out about this," said the woman.
