SINGAPORE - Coach operator KKKL Travel and Tours has suspended the Malaysian driver who allegedly drove off with personal items belonging to a group of Singaporean travellers.

The bus passengers, who were returning home from Kuala Lumpur, were also left stranded at the Malaysia customs.

In response to media queries, KKKL's lawyer Michael Wong said that the company is in the midst of completing internal investigations and has since suspended the bus driver.

Affected passenger Mr Sha Jahan, 41, told The Straits Times on Monday (July 3) that around 20 of them had alighted from the bus at the second-link checkpoint in Malaysia, at around midnight last Tuesday (June 27).

They had departed from Berjaya Times Square at about 5pm last Monday (June 26). It was previously reported that they had started their journey on Tuesday.

After passing through immigration at the Johor customs, they could not find the bus they were on.

Only around half of them had left their luggage, handbags and backpacks on board, he further clarified.

"We waited and waited, but the bus never turned up. It was only around 45 minutes later when another bus arrived that we came to know that the other one was gone," said Mr Sha, who is an IT professional.

Mr Sha, who was travelling alone, said that that he lost a new laptop worth $2,500, new clothes worth about $200, credit cards and about $800 in cash.

He added that the bus driver, who spoke to him over the phone, had first promised he would return with their belongings but later said that he was stuck in a traffic jam.

Some of the passengers left on a replacement bus, but Mr Sha and some others stayed behind to file police reports in Johor.

After they were done in the wee hours of the morning, they had to look for their own transport back to Singapore.

Although there have been no updates for about a week, he still hopes that his lost items, especially his laptop containing sensitive information, can be recovered.

He added that the affected passengers will be meeting with a KKKL representative at their office on Tuesday (July 4).

A few of them have also made police reports here.

KKKL is working with the affected passengers to "find the best solution for the said incident," Mr Wong said.