PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Police in Selangor are coming down hard on people who use fake honorific titles for nefarious activities, especially impersonation and cheating, Commissioner Datuk Mazlan Mansor said on Wednesday (April 11).

The Selangor police chief said posing as a "Datuk" or "Datuk Seri" is tantamount to insulting the royal institution.

"We have cases of individuals using these fake titles, including someone who used a fake letter supposedly issued by the Selangor Palace. We will not tolerate such blatant disregard for the law and the royal institution," he told The Star.

The conman in that case was posing as a Selangor Council of the Royal Court secretary.

"We have already wrapped up the case. We are waiting for the decision by the Attorney-General's Chambers on the matter," Comm Mazlan said.

The police proposed that the suspect be charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code for using a forged document, which carries a jail sentence of up to two years, or a fine, or both on conviction.

In addition, the individual has also been charged under Section 4a of the Selangor State Enactment, which carries a fine of up to RM500,000 (S$169,136.55), or up to five years imprisonment, or both upon conviction.

It is learnt that the state enactment was amended by Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah in 2016 to ensure that proper punishment was meted out to those who used fake honorific titles.

Comm Mazlan said there were also cases of individuals with fake titles who even challenged and attempted to intimidate the police.

He cited the example of a married couple who claimed to be a Datuk Seri and Datin Seri when they were stopped by police in Klang over a traffic violation.

"Upon checking, we discovered that they were merely sundry shop owners who used the titles to 'get their way' when confronted by the authorities," he said.

Elements of the underworld are also using fake titles to boost recruitment of new members, added Comm Mazlan.

"We are very serious in coming down hard against all these dodgy elements in the state," he said.

"As you can see, the punishment for such offences is very serious, thus I hope the public will not be involved in such crimes. We are heeding the call of the Sultan, who does not want anyone to insult the royal institution by using or selling the fake titles," he said.

Those who still disregard the warning will face the full brunt of the law, vowed Comm Mazlan.