Ever been approached by these parking touts that demand for payment even though it’s not a private parking area? This is actually illegal, and you can actually report them. Seven parking touts found that out the hard way when they were detained in the city centre during a special operation by the local district police in Ipoh.
The seven individuals, aged 40 to 66, were arrested under Section 50(3) of the Road Transport Act for disturbance and unlawful pressure during the two-day operation on June 30 and July 1.
From January to July 1, the police have continuously conducted such special operations and have now made 42 arrests.
According to the police, this is a serious issue especially when it involves tourists. Of course, the tourists will pay up due to not being aware of these scams.
However, this issue can be backdated to 2021 when a Penang man was beaten by five illegal car park attendants with sticks and iron rods. Since he was only parking by the roadside, he had questioned them on why he should pay. They insisted on collecting his money anyhow. He agreed and went to a store to break the RM50 note he had due to not having any change, but when he came back, he was still attacked.
So what should you do when approached by these thugs? We are aware that it can be inconvenient to refuse or park further away, but the authorities are urging citizens to resist caving to their requests. If you feel like they are being aggressive and too demanding, you may call the district control centre which operates 24 hours at 05-254 2222.
