Customs officer held for seeking bribes

IPOH: A Customs officer who has been getting inducement from shopkeepers who sell contraband cigarettes in Taiping has been arrested. 

Perak police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan said the 39-year-old was arrested at a roadblock in Sungai Kerang, Trong, on Monday at about 4.40pm. 

"He had earlier asked for RM500 from a shopkeeper who refused to give in to his demands,” said DCP Mohd Shukri at a press conference yesterday. 

“The shopkeeper had sensed that the man was a mere impersonator. “So, the shopkeeper asked the officer to go with him to the police station, but he fled. 

“Police then managed to nab him at a roadblock.” DCP Mohd Shukri said initial investigations showed that the Customs officer had already been given RM300 by another shopkeeper, who had previously paid him off with RM1,000. 

“We believe that the suspect has been trying to get inducement from shopkeepers for several months now,” DCP Mohd Shukri said. 

“The suspect has been handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.” 

Source : The Star