Inspectors among 9 held over RM200,000 extortion

KUALA LUMPUR: A police inspector who impersonated an assistant superintendent of police (ASP) from the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) was arrested, along with eight others, after they extorted RM200,000 from a wholesaler at his outlet in Jalan Silang here on Sunday.

City police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim confirmed the arrest of all suspects, aged between 31 and 41, which included two inspectors and three rank-and-file personnel yesterday.

He said no Bukit Aman CCID officer with the rank of ASP (who was initially said to be the mastermind) was involved in Sunday’s extortion as alleged, when in fact it was one of the two inspectors who had impersonated an ASP attached to Federal CCID.

“Following a report from the victim and CCTV recordings at the premises, police identified the suspects the very same day.

“Among those picked up are two inspectors, one from the Police Technical College in Bakri, Muar and the other is attached to the Narcotics Division of Petaling Jaya district police headquarters,” he said.

In the 4pm incident on Sunday, nine men claiming to be Bukit Aman CCID officers and Bank Negara Malaysia personnel “raided” the 30-year-old’s outlet on the first floor of Bangunan Cahaya Suria after accusing the business owner of running an illegal money-changing business.

The suspects, who were all in plainclothes, had introduced themselves as officers from Bukit Aman before handcuffing his four workers and leading the victim into the management office inside the outlet.

In the victim’s police report, he claimed that the “raiding party” confiscated his phones before they searched the office for evidence.

One of the suspects was armed with a pistol.

Mazlan said the suspects ordered the victim to cough up RM200,000 if he didn’t want to be arrested, which he did out of fear.

Out of the three rank-and-file policemen, two are attached to Sea Park police station and the other at Jalan Bandar Traffic Police station.

“Also arrested were four other men, including a BNM staff.”

It is learnt that one of the policemen had given his name and telephone number to the victim to contact him.