RM6,000 ‘ang pow’ found in police station

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite repeated warnings and advice from the top brass, there appears to be no end to cases of police personnel running afoul of the law.

In the latest case, a police sergeant attached to a station here is in the soup after allegedly cashing in on the upcoming Chinese New Year by accepting ang pow amounting to several thousand ringgit from businesses operating under his jurisdiction.

Sources revealed that a team from Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) had conducted a surprise check at the police station at noon on Monday.

It is learnt that after conducting checks on the personnel at the station, the raiding party led by an assistant superintendent ordered a police sergeant to open a safe in the room of the station’s officer-in-charge.

“The JIPS team then found wads of cash in ang pow packets in the safe.

“On checking further, more cash in ang pow packets was discovered in a waist pouch strapped to the sergeant,” said the source.

Initial investigations showed that the sergeant had allegedly received the cash amounting to over RM6,000 from several business outlets in the vicinity of the police station.

Federal JIPS director Datuk Seri Azri Ahmad, when contacted, said the department’s officers had conducted a random compliance check at the station, and an internal investigation to determine the source of the cash is underway.

In another case in Johor yesterday, a female police officer and seven rank-and-file personnel were arrested after allegedly accepting RM35,000 as an inducement to release a suspect in a drug-related case.

It is learnt that the suspect was arrested about a week ago and held at a district police headquarters in Johor for investigation.

Sources said the suspect’s sister had paid the bribe in exchange for the man’s release.

“However, when she found that her brother was still in police custody days later, she lodged a report on Monday night,” said the source.

Within hours, a team from the state police headquarters raided the narcotic crimes investigation unit at the district police headquarters, where two policewomen and six policemen aged between 22 and 55, were held.

Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.

The eight detained police personnel are being held under a four-day remand order, he added.

In a separate case in Melaka, a federal JIPS police team arrested two senior police officers – one with the rank of deputy superintendent and the other an inspector – and three rank-and-file personnel for allegedly possessing ketum.

Melaka police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Zainol Samah said the arrests were made by the Bukit Aman team at a house in Alor Gajah at 11.30pm on Monday.

“A member of the public was also detained in the raid,” he said yesterday.

DCP Zainol said the five, aged between 31 and 55, are attached to the Melaka police headquarters in Bukit Beruang.

“Several bottles containing ketum, ketum leaves and a set of police uniforms were also seized during the raid,” he said.

The rank and file comprised two sergeants and one lance corporal.

He added that all of those detained have been remanded to assist in investigation under Section 30 (3) of the Poisons Act 1952.