KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Police have identified the man caught in a viral video pumping subsidised RON95 petrol into a Singapore-registered car as a Singapore permanent resident, and have instructed him to present himself to assist with investigations.
Kulai district police chief Tan Seng Lee said the owner of the vehicle had been traced in Singapore following the incident, which spread rapidly online over the weekend.
“We have gotten in touch and directed him to come to the traffic department at Kulai’s police headquarters to assist with investigations,” he said today, according to The Star.
Tan said the case is being investigated under Section 108(3)(e) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which relates to exhibiting an altered or tampered vehicle registration number.
“The public is reminded not to alter or attempt to hide certain characters of their vehicle registration plate as they please because it is against the law,” he said.
Under the law, only Malaysian-registered vehicles are eligible to purchase RON95 petrol, regardless of the driver’s citizenship status.
Since 2010, all foreign-registered vehicles, including those from Singapore, have been restricted to purchasing only unsubsidised RON97 or higher-grade fuel.
The incident came to public attention on Friday after a video showed two individuals refuelling RON95 petrol into a Singapore-registered vehicle in Kulai, with part of its number plate obscured by a black sticker. In the clip, the pair can be heard claiming to be Malaysians before driving away.
