Malaysia police seek British ‘van life’ couple over traffic stop bribery video
- Police say Chris and Marianne Fisher, who post about their globe-trotting adventures on social media, are believed to be in a ‘neighbouring country’
- The couple filmed a policeman allegedly accepting cash to settle a traffic ticket along a road connecting Simpang Pulai and Cameron Highlands
In one of their recent videos during a trip to Malaysia, Chris and Marianne Fisher filmed a traffic policeman offering to settle a traffic ticket that he had just issued.
Perak police chief Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said officers were looking for the Fishers who are behind the “Tread the Globe” videos on social media.
“Bukit Aman needs to determine where the incident occurred, whether in Kelantan, Pahang or Perak,” said Yusri, adding that the case was being handled by the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department. “They also need to identify the time, date and policeman involved.”
“The police believe the couple are in a neighbouring country,” he told reporters after attending an event at the state police headquarters on Monday.
In the video that was posted on Sunday, a traffic policeman can be seen stopping the couple for allegedly speeding downhill along a road connecting Simpang Pulai and Cameron Highlands in their camper van named “Trudy”.
In the video, the officer claims the Fishers were travelling at a speed in excess of the 60km/h (37mph) limit and told them they had two options: either pay 300 ringgit (US$63) at a police station to settle the summons or pay 100 ringgit on the spot.
In another case involving a traffic policeman, a highway patrol unit member in Perak was arrested after allegedly abusing his power during a traffic stop involving a Japanese citizen.
Yusri said the officer had been arrested on suspicion of abusing his authority during a traffic stop along the North-South Expressway.
She claimed that the officer had told her to either pay 2,000 ringgit at the Slim River police station for the speeding ticket or she could pay 1,000 ringgit on the spot.
The policeman then told her she could do an online bank transfer or pay via e-wallet, she said.
After she logged in to her banking mobile app, the policeman allegedly took the phone and transferred 800 ringgit into his bank account.
Yusri said the Muallim district police were currently investigating the case.
