JPJ seizes RM780,000 luxury vehicles driven by foreigners

TWO luxury vehicles worth a combined RM780,000 have been seized by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) after being driven by foreign nationals in Kelantan, including a BMW 525 driven by a Rohingya man without a driving licence.

JPJ senior director of enforcement Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said the vehicles were seized under Ops Luxury, an enforcement operation targeting luxury vehicles with expired Motor Vehicle Licences (LKM), or road tax, and other road offences.

He said the BMW 525 was seized on Sept 19 along Jalan Pasir Hor after it was found to be driven by a 36-year-old Rohingya man.

“The driver is a Rohingya national who owns a grocery shop and does not have a driving licence.

“The car was bought from a local citizen and its ownership was not transferred because Rohingya nationals cannot own vehicles, so we seized the BMW,” he told reporters here on Monday.

The following day, JPJ seized a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by a 51-year-old Bangladeshi man who is a permanent resident.

“The vehicle, worth about RM780,000, was seized on Sept 20 in Tunjong because its LKM had expired and it had no insurance.

“In these two cases, the drivers and owners were unable to pay the compounds and will be brought to court,” he said.

Muhammad Kifli said the seizures were part of JPJ enforcement against the use of luxury vehicles in breach of road regulations.

In a separate operation under the Foreign Driver Operation (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 rented out for between RM50 and RM200 a month, depending on their condition and intended use.

“There are also cases involving local employers hiring foreign drivers to drive commercial vehicles.

“If Malaysians do not rent out motorcycles or employ foreign nationals, including Rohingya, they would not be on the roads,” he said.

He said JPJ issued 481,119 summonses to foreign drivers between Jan 1, 2024 and Sept 15 this year.

The highest number involved driving without a Competent Driving Licence (CDL), with 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.

“Rohingya nationals were most commonly detected riding motorcycles, particularly three-wheeled motorcycles, mainly for collecting scrap metal, followed by Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Indians and Pakistanis,” he said. - September 28, 2026