Johor MCA youth chief Heng Zhi Li (right) talking to Lim who been a victim of extortion during a press conference held at state MCA headquarters here in Johor Baru on April 5. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: A man claimed that two policemen tried to extort money from him at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) here.
The 29-year-old man, who only wanted to be known as Lim, said that he was on the way home from work in Singapore at around 10pm on Tuesday (April 2) night.
“After going through security clearance at BSI, I was suddenly stopped by two men in plain clothes claiming to be police officers where they took away my phone and passport. They instructed me to follow them.
“They brought me to a premise inside BSI, which had the police emblem and tourism police logo, where it can only be entered using an access card,” he added.
Lim said this in a press conference organised by Johor MCA youth chief Heng Zhi Li at the party’s state headquarters building here on Friday (April 5).
He added that the two policemen then put him inside a room for about half an hour.
“They showed me their authorisation cards and one of them told me that I was in serious trouble and would put me in a lockup before being brought to court the next day.
“I told them that I could lose my job of 10 years in Singapore if I did not show up to work and asked them what offence did I do but they never answered my question,” he said.
Lim then claimed that one of the policemen then told him that they could release him immediately if he was willing to pay them RM2,000.
He however added that he does not have such an amount of money available at both his Malaysia bank account and Singapore bank account.
“The two of them told me to show proof as they said I had been working in Singapore. I showed them my balance in my two accounts where I can only pay RM1,000.
“I was then instructed to follow one of them on a motorcycle to the nearest ATM machine located inside a nearby petrol station.
“But I could not withdraw the money, so the policeman brought me to another petrol station, which again I could not take out the money,” he said.
Lim added the policeman then brought him to a bank located in Taman Pelangi where he was able to take out the amount needed to pay for his “release”.
He said while going back to BSI on the motorcycle, he told the policeman to stop at a bus stop where he then faked an asthma attack.
Lim also said he was lucky as a couple, going through the same road, saw him lying on the side at the bus stop where they came to his aid.
“The policeman then told the couple to help me as he needed to get back to his station. He accidentally dropped my mobile phone and passport before leaving,” he said, adding that he did not give the money to the policeman and has lodged a police report over the matter.
Meanwhile, Heng urged the police to carry out a thorough investigation against the allegation made by the victim.
“This is a serious matter as the incident took place inside BSI, an important gateway for locals and investors, which can tarnish Malaysia’s image,” he said.
When contacted, Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat confirmed the victim’s report and said that the investigation was still ongoing.
