The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has seized two luxury vehicles, including a BMW 525 and a Toyota Land Cruiser worth about RM780,000, after they were found being driven by foreign nationals during enforcement operations in Kelantan.
JPJ Senior Director of Enforcement Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said both vehicles were seized under Ops Luxury, which targets luxury vehicles found operating with expired Motor Vehicle Licences (LKM), commonly known as road tax.
The BMW 525 was seized on September 19 along Jalan Pasir Hor after it was found being driven by a 36-year-old Rohingya man.
Muhammad Kifli said the man, who runs a grocery shop, did not possess a valid driving licence.
“The car had been purchased from a local and its ownership was not transferred because Rohingya nationals cannot own vehicles. Therefore, we seized the BMW,” he told reporters on Monday.
A day later, JPJ seized a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by a 51-year-old Bangladeshi man who is a permanent resident.
The vehicle, estimated to be worth RM780,000, was seized in Tunjong on September 20 after officers found that its LKM had expired and it did not have valid insurance.
Muhammad Kifli said the drivers and owners involved in both cases were unable to pay the compounds and would be brought to court.
He said the seizures were part of JPJ’s ongoing enforcement against luxury vehicles found committing road-related offences.
In a separate operation, Ops Pemandu Warga Asing (Pewa), JPJ also uncovered cases involving Malaysians allegedly renting motorcycles to foreign nationals, particularly Rohingya, for profit.
Muhammad Kifli said intelligence and investigations found that motorcycles were being rented out for between RM50 and RM200 a month, depending on their condition and intended use.
He also said some local employers had hired foreign nationals to drive commercial vehicles.
“If Malaysians did not rent out motorcycles or employ foreign nationals, including Rohingya, they would not be on the roads,” he said.
Between January 1, 2024 and September 15 this year, JPJ issued 481,119 summonses to foreign drivers.
The most common offence was driving without a Competent Driving Licence (CDL), accounting for 121,832 summonses, followed by expired LKM with 50,469 and driving without insurance with 43,299.
The remaining 252,560 summonses involved various other offences.
Muhammad Kifli said Rohingya nationals were most frequently detected riding motorcycles, particularly three-wheeled motorcycles used to collect scrap metal, followed by nationals from Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and Pakistan.
