Negeri Sembilan police have initiated an internal probe following a report of an extortion case involving a senior officer of the force.
State police chief Ahmad Dzaffir Yussof said the incident allegedly took place while the officer was serving in the contingent.
“An investigation paper has been opened. So far, three statements have been recorded to assist in the probe,” he was quoted by Utusan Malaysia as saying.
He also said preliminary investigations revealed that the senior officer, who is now stationed at a different state police headquarters, admitted to knowing the complainant – but only in the context of gathering intelligence.
Previously, social media was abuzz with claims by a 39-year-old man who lodged a report at the Rantau police station on Tuesday concerning his predicament which allegedly started four years ago, on June 28, 2019.
The complainant said he filed the report in an attempt to recover some money after learning that the officer in question was no longer stationed in Negeri Sembilan.
The complainant, a cattle trader, claimed that while at his home in Kampung Sagga, Rantau, he handed over RM50,000 in cash to a 50-year-old man believed to be a middleman acting on behalf of a police officer.
He said the officer, who held the rank of inspector at the time, was serving with the special investigations unit (D9) at the Negeri Sembilan police headquarters.
The payment was allegedly made as a form of protection to avoid being detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) and the Prevention of Crime Act 1959.
The complainant had previously been held under Sosma on March 28 and Sept 27, 2018, over suspected involvement in gang-related activities.
Believing the matter had been resolved after the payment, the complainant said he moved to Bandar Springhill, Port Dickson, to start a new life.
However, on Aug 9, 2022, the same middleman allegedly visited the complainant again, claiming the officer had said the complainant’s name had resurfaced for unspecified reasons, and demanded another RM50,000 to prevent arrest.
Out of fear, the complainant agreed but was only able to pay RM30,000 in cash on Aug 11, 2022. The payment was allegedly made in both Rantau and Bandar Springhill.
The senior officer also allegedly threatened to shoot the complainant if he ever disclosed the matter to anyone.
