KUALA LUMPUR: Thinking he could make a quick buck out of those who wanted to "balik kampung" this Hari Raya, an Indonesian man sold overpriced express bus tickets illegally.

His plan was, however, foiled when police arrested him on Wednesday at the Puduraya bus station, in the midst of his sales.

At the magistrate's court yesterday, Saiful Mukhtar Sani, of Acheh, Indonesia, the first tout to be arrested this festive season, was fined RM10,000 or 11 months' jail for touting at the Puduraya bus station at 12.30pm on Wednesday.

He pleaded guilty before magistrate Syed Adam Alhabsy. Saiful however failed to pay the fine.

In the past, touts have been arrested and charged with selling black market tickets at marked up prices and sometimes fake tickets to those who were desperate to return home for Hari Raya.

Checks at Puduraya bus terminal yesterday showed that there were practically no touts selling express bus tickets.

Their absence was said to be due to a rumoured raid by the Road Transport Department to nab them.

Without the ticket touts, the bus terminal seemed quieter than normal, with passengers queuing up rather orderly at ticket counters to buy their tickets.

A spokesman of RTD said he was surprised to learn that the touts knew about the pending raid and stayed away from the bus station.