KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador (pic) has confirmed that four police personnel were arrested for allegedly extorting RM3mil from a businessman, in exchange to cover up a drug processing lab in Cheras.

The Inspector-General of Police said police are in the midst of collecting evidence and facts on the case.

"Stern action will be taken against them if the evidence points out that the police personnel were involved. There will be no compromise.

"We will leave no stone unturned in the case," he told a press conference after attending the ceremony for the replacement of elevators for the Police Training Centre and Pantai police station on Wednesday (Feb 19).

Abdul Hamid said the police personnel acted without the authorisation or knowledge of their superiors.

"A team from Bukit Aman will investigate all aspects in the case.

"We have yet to recover the RM3mil, as the case is still in its early stages," he added.

It was reported in Malay Mail that the four police officers were identified as an inspector, two detective corporals and a corporal who were attached to the Selangor CID Serious Crimes division (D9).

An informed source, familiar with the case, said the suspects were detained at the CID office at Selangor police headquarters in Shah Alam at 9.45am on Tuesday (Feb 18).

The source said the arrests were made by a special CID team from Kuala Lumpur police’s serious crimes division that acted on an extortion report made at Salak South police station in Cheras on Monday (Feb 17) by a 49-year-old Taiwanese businessman, who was earlier arrested on drug charges.

The suspects, aged between 37 and 38, are seasoned policemen with each having more than 12 years of service in the police force, according to the source.

The source also said the Taiwanese businessman was said to have been unhappy that he and several of his friends were arrested, despite “paying off” the policemen.