Travelling is meant to be a joyful experience, but for one tourist, a visit to Malaysia turned into a nightmare.
Recently, a foreign visitor claimed he was threatened, intimidated, and forced to hand over RM3,700 (approximately $800) by two police officers during a late-night walk in Kuala Lumpur.
Stopped by patrol officers for no reason
The tourist, who shared his experience on Reddit, explained that he was walking back to his hotel from a restaurant around 3am in Pudu when two patrol officers stopped him without explanation.
They demanded that he hand over his bag, which contained a tablet and detergent, and ordered him to empty his pockets before placing all his belongings on their bike.
They then seized his phone and tablet, insisting that he unlock them. The tourist noted that this invasion of privacy was done without any suspicion or valid reason.
Upon accessing his phone, the officers discovered that he was subscribed to adult Telegram channels and had a cryptocurrency exchange app installed.
Accused of crypto money laundering
According to the tourist, the officers immediately made a fuss over his Telegram subscriptions and crypto holdings.
They falsely accused him of being involved in money laundering and scamming, claiming that merely having a cryptocurrency account was illegal.
They even warned him that if the case were taken to court, he could face hefty legal fees of up to $10,000.
Forced to pay RM3,700 to avoid ‘legal trouble’
Terrified and unfamiliar with the legal system, the tourist was then taken into a dark alley, where the officers demanded RM1,850 ($400) each to let him go.
In total, they extorted RM3,700 ($800) from him.
They even went as far as escorting him back to his hotel on their bikes, handing him only his key card and ordering him to retrieve the money within five minutes.
He only got his phone, tablet, and wallet back after handing over the cash.
Reporting the incident & confronting the officers
Determined to seek justice, the tourist later went to the Dang Wangi Police Headquarters, where he reported the incident.
To his relief, he managed to get his money back and was even given permission to scold the patrol officers in front of their superiors.
However, the damage had already been done. He expressed his deep disappointment, stating that this was his third negative experience in Malaysia, and he would never return.
This scars me and shatters my view of Malaysia (this is the third time). I know it’s just a few bad apples, but I am NOT going to visit Malaysia ever again,” he expressed through his post.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
Here is the post:
KL (pudu) isn’t safe for Asian tourists !
byu/garysei124 inmalaysia
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