KUALA LUMPUR: A network of “tonto” groups is operating like a “consortium” to track and spy on enforcement officers from the Road Transport Department (RTD) and share their locations with lorry and bus drivers who have broken the law.
The collaboration involves rogue lorry drivers, a small number of bus operators, and tow truck drivers. They work together in WhatsApp groups to circulate real-time information, photos, and the locations of RTD operations nationwide. This network allows heavy vehicle drivers to plan “safe” routes and avoid enforcement “hot zones”.
A man who only wanted to be known as Farid said some tontos allegedly receive leaked notices or memos about upcoming operations from insiders within enforcement agencies, warning drivers a day in advance.
Messages can be as specific as, “There will be a big HQ and regional operation at Duta Toll. Check all, urine and tyres, if incomplete, don’t pass by,” to warn drivers about an operation that will check their road tax, licences, tyres, and for drugs.
“Some are willing to climb hills to monitor the movements of JPJ officers at enforcement stations,” Farid said.
“Others spy on officers who stop at highway rest and service (R&R) areas. Whether they stop to eat, pray, use the toilet or simply rest in their vehicles, all of it is under tonto surveillance. This includes covertly taken photographs of JPJ personnel, which are later shared.”
He added that every JPJ vehicle entering or exiting highways or weigh enforcement stations is also monitored and tailed. “Identifying these tontos is difficult nowadays,” he said.
An anonymous JPJ officer said enforcement personnel still face organised and sophisticated threats from hired tonto groups. The officer said there is a “dark network” of tonto operations acting as the “eyes and ears” of syndicates operating overloaded or unlicensed heavy vehicles.
“There have been cases where JPJ vehicles were tailed for more than 100 kilometres, from a highway R&R stop right to the entrance of the JPJ depot,” the officer said.
“JPJ vehicles are often secretly followed. Some trail them from a distance using tracking applications to relay real-time operation updates to lorry drivers.”
The officer added that these are not ordinary tontos. “They can detect radio frequencies, recognise enforcement vehicles, and identify officers by sight,” he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
