Police cripple cheque and credit card interception syndicate

KUALA LUMPUR: A cheque and credit card intercepting syndicate known as ‘Kumpulan Ah Chong’ was crippled following the detention of five of its members including a woman – all locals – in a raid at a condominium in Jalan Ampang, here, last Saturday.

In the raid, a police team from the Commercial CID of the Brickfields District Police Headquarters, also seized fake identity cards, cellphones, debit cards, cheques of numerous banks and equipment boxes believed to be used to modify cheques and identity card chips.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim said the modus operandi of the syndicate was to intercept credit cards posted by banks to condominiums in the Klang Valley which were then modified to buy goods online.

“The items bought online will be resold for profits. The activity, which had taken place since August, resulted in losses amounting to RM500,000.

“Investigation found that one of the five suspects, aged 30 to 40 years, has three ‘wanted’ records for escaping from Restriction Order under Section 15 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 ( POCA) in Terengganu,” he told reporters after the handing over of duties of the Cheras District police chief here.

Mazlan said three suspects were remanded until tomorrow while the two others were freed on police bail after their statements were taken.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 419 of the Penal Code and if found guilty could be jailed for seven years or with fine or both. — Bernama