SINGAPORE — A Singaporean man who owed RM28,000 (S$9,240) in traffic fines was finally made to pay up after being detained by Johor police on Saturday (Sept 28).

The man, who is in his 60s, had accumulated 116 unpaid traffic fines since 2000, reported Malaysian news agency Bernama.

Malaysian police conducted a three-day operation that began early Friday morning involving 116 personnel at Gelang Patah Rest and Service area, Iskandar Puteri and Muzium Tokoh, Jalan Lingkaran Dalam in Johor.

Authorities managed to recover a total of 3,174 fines, 2,687 of which were from Singaporeans.

Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement deputy director Mohd Nadzri Hussain said around RM611,000 was collected by Sunday morning, with the sum expected to rise to RM750,000 by the end of the day.

More than 247,000 outstanding traffic fines were recorded from 2000 to 2019, Mr Nadzri added.

Traffic offenders in Malaysia can check the status of their fines through the MyEg portal or at rilek.com.my. Singaporeans with outstanding Malaysian traffic fines can make payments through AXS machines in Singapore.

Mr Nadzri added that once Malaysia's vehicle entry permit law comes into force, Singaporean traffic offenders must settle all their fines before being allowed to return to Singapore.

The vehicle entry permit law was originally slated to be enforced from Oct 1, but Malaysia's transport ministry announced last Monday that it will defer its enforcement "during peak-hour traffic operation" until further notice. AGENCIES