MALAYSIA — A PRC Chinese female tourist allegedly stopped by police in Kuala Lumpur and claimed that she was extorted 200 Malaysian ringgit (approximately S$60).
She shared her experience in a video on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (小红书). According to her, on Friday (31 Mar), she had dinner with a local Malaysian friend until late at night at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, and then took a taxi back to her hotel.
She said the taxi driver informed her that they were being followed by a police patrol car and stopped the car. They were approached by a police officer with a submachine gun.
In the video, the officer requested to check the female tourist’s ID and asked where she was from, she replied that she was from China, so the officer asked for her passport instead.
“I said I left my passport in the hotel and didn’t bring it. I can provide my ID card and Hong Kong and Macau pass, as well as photos of my passport.”
“The police then said they need to check the stamp of entry into Malaysia on the passport, or else I would have to go to the police station with them, ” she said in the video.
The female tourist tried to call the Chinese Embassy’s hotline for help but could not get through.
Tourist alleged that the police officer took RM200 efore allowing them to leave
She claimed that the driver told her that the police wanted money, but she said she didn’t have any cash with her. The driver said he could lend her some.
“The driver took out RM 100, and the officer said no. The driver took out RM200, and he said that was all his money, ” the tourist alleged that the officer demanded another RM100.
“At this point, my Malaysian friend who was with me began to plead with the police in Malay and advised me to remain silent. The officer realized that we genuinely had no more cash and eventually took the RM200 before allowing us to leave.”
The tourist also alleged that her local friend warned her that if the person didn’t have any cash, the officer would take them to an ATM to withdraw money.
“If you don’t want to pay, the officer will take you to the police station and keep you there overnight. If your skin is fair like ours and you look good, you may be subjected to the officer’s words or some physical harassment.”
The tourist stated that she had travelled to more than 20 countries and had never been told to carry her passport with her at all times before.
Although she deleted the original video from her Xiaohongshu account, other netizens had reposted it on TikTok, and it has since been circulating online.
@cs_kuan SUPPORT PDRM MALAYSIA ❤️ SELAMAT BERPUASA. Malaysia CHINA EMBASSY HOTLINE TIDAK TERJAWAB TOLONG JAGALAH IMEJ NEGARA MALAYSIA Video Credit: Cici酱 #据说MATA要KOPI提神
KL police investigating the Chinese tourist’s allegation
On Monday (3 April), Kuala Lumpur police issued a statement and confirmed that they are investigating the allegation made by the Chinese tourist.
“Initial investigations revealed that the individual in the viral video claimed to have been extorted by the police officer for not carrying identification documents.”
Dato’ Yahaya bin Othman, acting Kuala Lumpur Police Chief said the police officer and the identified individual involved will be summoned to the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters for questioning in relation to the ongoing investigation.
“The investigation file will be completed and referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for further instructions, ” he added.
