A woman recently took to social media to accuse a police officer of attempting to solicit a bribe from her husband over a lottery ticket purchase.
However, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has since vehemently denied the account and said it’s currently probing the case for criminal defamation.
4D ticket purchase record found in phone
In the now-viral post, the OP wrote that her husband was driving along an expressway in Johor Bahru when he was suddenly pulled over by a policeman.
When the officer asked him to hand his handphone over, he willingly gave it as he thought it was a routine check.
However, it proved to be a mistake when the policeman found a record showing that he had recently purchased a 4D lottery ticket.
Under Section 9(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, those caught buying illegal lottery tickets are liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both upon conviction.
Allegedly asked for RM2,000
Upon seeing the purchase record, the officer allegedly told the OP’s husband to pay RM2,000 for two persons or risk being taken to the police station and made to pay a higher amount.
Shocked by the turn of events, the man secretly called the OP for help.
When she spoke to the officer, she told him plainly: “Our family doesn’t have that much money. If you really want to arrest him, then arrest him. At most he’ll be detained for a few days.”
The OP also said the incident “didn’t make sense” as her husband bought the lottery ticket for fun and had not committed a serious crime.
Amount lowered
The OP then offered to pay RM200 per person instead and appealed to the officer by saying:
Hari Raya’s coming soon. Let’s help each other out.”
Thankfully, her offer was accepted and her husband later drove to the ATM to withdraw the cash and give it to the officer.
At the end of the post, the OP said the post wasn’t to gain sympathy or encourage others to confront officers.
“It’s to raise public awareness. We were lucky that the other party accepted the negotiation. If we had met someone more difficult, the outcome might have been different,” she added.
PDRM denounces incident
The case has since caught the attention of Johor police, including Johor Bahru South district police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat.
In a statement, he said the officer in question had stopped a foreign male driver for not using the correct lane and issued a summons.
Raub added that the officer also lodged a police report over the incident as he claimed it had negatively affected the reputation of the police, reported China Press.
“The accusations are baseless, and the case will be investigated underSection 500 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation.
“It was also be probed under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities, which carries a fine and jail sentence,” he said.
The report is expected to be submitted to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for further action once investigations are complete.
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