A Singaporean couple returning from Johor Bahru after attending a friend’s wedding managed to recover a handbag containing documents, bank cards, and S$4,700 (RM14,990) in cash, thanks to the swift action of Malaysian immigration officers.
The couple had their vehicle stopped for a routine inspection at the checkpoint, unaware that the bag had slipped out during the process. Exhausted from the trip, they only realized it was missing after reaching Singapore.
Tan Zheng Guang, an interior designer, initially assumed the bag had been left at their hotel stay from November 3 to 5. When that led nowhere, he canceled his bank cards but chose not to file a police report, feeling that someone might find it.
His instincts proved correct. Tan later received a call from the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru informing him that Malaysian immigration officers had located the bag. At first skeptical of a potential scam, Tan was reassured when the caller sent a photo of his identity card.
Malaysia’s Home Ministry said two officers at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar customs, immigration, and quarantine complex discovered the bag in a car lane. They reviewed CCTV footage to identify Tan and alerted their superiors, who then contacted the consulate.
The bag was returned on November 21, with all contents intact. Tan personally thanked the officers for their honesty and professionalism. “Everything was accounted for, and I am grateful to them for their diligence in locating me through our consulate,” he said.
