146 Macau Scam suspects detained
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have on Dec 12 arrested a total of 146 individuals for alleged involvement in the Macau Scam syndicate and online gambling activities which had caused losses estimated at RM13 million.
Of the total, 71 of them were picked up during raids on nine locations in the Klang Valley, while 75 others were nabbed in Guangdong and Yunnan in China.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh said the arrests of the suspects, aged between 30 and 45, were made possible with the cooperation between the CCID and the China police.
He said the syndicate was believed to have been active over the past six months, operating from Malaysia and China.
“Their modus operandi was to call the victim using the voice over internet protocol (VOIP) platform while posing as an officer from any financial institution to dupe the victim to deposit his or her money into the their (syndicate) account,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
During the raid, police also seized 188 fixed line phones, 60 mobile phones, 36 passports, six routers and five tablets.
All suspects had been remanded for 14 days and the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code and also under the Immigration Act. - Bernama