By DHARMENDER SINGH

PULAU INDAH, MALAYSIA: Just hours after making the biggest mobile phone bust in Selangor this year, a marine police senior officer and his team were offered RM30,000 to "settle the matter."

Selangor marine police assistant commandant ASP Mohd Khairuddin Jamal promptly did what his conscience, and his uniform, demanded of him - he arrested the man from Pandamaran, Klang, on Tuesday for attempted bribery.

Bukit Aman marine police commandant Senior Asst Comm II Isa Munir told the press about the bust and attempted bribe at the Selangor marine police base here yesterday.

He said police here arrested the operator of a barter trade boat and two crew members, and confiscated mobile phones worth about RM3.2mil being smuggled out on Tuesday.

"A marine police patrol boat spotted the barter trade boat heading towards the Lumut Straits at noon. Our men became suspicious as the deck was bare.

"Barter trade boats will always utilise all available space. A bare deck is unusual," he said.

The policemen, led by Asst Supt Mohd Khairuddin, boarded the boat and found that it had a permit to carry mobile phone accessories from Malaysia to Indonesia.

Further checks in the storage compartment led police to 14 boxes of accessories and another 13 large suitcases filled with Nokia and Titan mobile phones.

SAC Isa said the three Indonesian suspects were immediately arrested and the 12,800 mobile phones confiscated.

He said that at 5.30pm the same day, a Malaysian approached ASP Khairuddin and his men as they were checking the goods at the Selangor marine police operations office.

The man placed a white envelope in front of them. When ASP Khairuddin asked what was in the envelope, the man told him there was RM30,000 for him to settle the case and release the goods.

SAC Isa said they were still investigating the source of supply for the mobile phones.