The officers forced Chinese citizens to transfer 200,000 ringgit ($51,000) during a nighttime raid.
According to South China Morning Post, Malaysian authorities have arrested 12 police officers accused of extorting approximately 200,000 ringgit ($51,000) in digital assets from a group of Chinese citizens during a nighttime raid on a house near Kuala Lumpur. The arrests were announced last Thursday by local authorities.
The operation was launched following a complaint filed on February 6 by one of the eight alleged victims, aged between 25 and 45 years old. According to the charges, the officers raided a bungalow in the Kajang district, outside Kuala Lumpur, confiscating phones and laptops and forcing one of the victims to transfer digital assets to a specific cryptocurrency account.
“Immediate action was taken and 12 police officers were arrested to assist with the investigation,” stated Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar. Authorities are treating the case as a group robbery involving cryptocurrency of a foreign citizen.
Kahar emphasized that the Selangor police contingent “will not compromise with officers or members involved in criminal activities,” signaling the seriousness of the investigation. The arrests come at a time of intensified anti-corruption scrutiny in Malaysia.
The case is part of a broader effort by the Malaysian government against corruption, intensified since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took office in 2022. In recent months, several high-level officials and public figures have been indicted as part of a wider campaign to curb abuse of power in the public sector. Malaysia’s king, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, had recently warned that corrupt individuals in government agencies, including the police, were on his “radar.”
