M’sian Solo Traveller Shares Tense Experience Getting Strip-Searched At Indonesian Airport

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A Malaysian traveller has alleged that he was interrogated, strip-searched, and sent for an X-ray after getting detained at Semarang's Jenderal Ahmad Yani International Airport in Indonesia

He claimed that the incident occurred after immigration officers became suspicious of the numerous Thai entry stamps in his passport, believing he might be a drug smuggler.

Recounting the ordeal on Threads on 27 October, the man, who is an avid solo traveller, said his arrival formalities went smoothly until an officer, after scanning his arrival QR code, flipped through his passport.

View on Threads

The Malaysian shared that he was pulled aside for further questioning

"They asked if I was sick. I said no. Then, two officers brought me into a special room for questioning. That's when the nightmare began," he wrote.

He alleged that the interrogation quickly intensified, with officers demanding to see his company website and employee ID, neither of which he had with him. They searched his bag and wallet, temporarily seizing his debit cards and approximately 2 million rupiah (RM503) in cash, which was later returned.

Because his pre-booked driver was waiting outside the airport, he had to quickly message the driver to explain that he had been detained for checks and ask him to wait.

The most invasive part of the process began when he was told to undress

"They told me to go into a small room and take off all my clothes for inspection. Thankfully, it didn't go as far as what you see on TV. No invasive checks," he wrote. He was then escorted to the toilet to provide a urine sample.

Officers then scoured his Telegram and WhatsApp groups and chats, including conversations with friends in Jakarta, to verify he was not involved in drug smuggling.

The Malaysian said a senior officer then joined the interrogation and took photos of his flight ticket and hotel booking. While his debit cards were returned, he was informed he still needed an X-ray scan at the airport hospital to confirm there were no foreign substances in his body.

"Before leaving, they even checked my photo gallery to ensure I hadn't taken pictures of them, but luckily, it was clean," he added.

The officers then escorted him to the airport hospital for the X-ray

One of the officers even used his own phone to call the man's waiting airport driver, asking him to wait.

After the X-ray scan came back clear, officers returned the man's passport, explaining the checks were standard security procedure, and paid for the hospital fees.

He added that the officers even helped book him a Grab ride, as his driver was unreachable at the time.

"Only after I got into the Grab did my driver text me, asking where I was. I told him to just complete the order," he recounted.

"I felt bad for making him wait so long. I really didn't expect to be interrogated like that," he added.

The man admitted the ordeal had ruined his travel mood, causing him to spend the day quietly wandering Semarang's Kota Lama, near his hotel

He concluded his story by calling it a "scary but valuable lesson", reminding fellow travellers to stay calm, cooperate fully, and always have documents and bookings ready when passing through immigration.