Woman remanded over RM3.8 mln swindle

KUCHING: A local woman was remanded yesterday in connection with an investment scheme in Peninsular Malaysia which cost investors RM3.8 million in losses.

Personnel from the state and district Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) arrested the 41-year- old suspect around 8.30pm on Tuesday at her house at Taman Muhibbah in Petra Jaya following a request from their West Malaysian counterparts.

Federal CCID director Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, who confirmed the arrest when contacted yesterday, said the woman was arrested in a simultaneous operation which also saw her 43-year- old husband, their 19- year-old son and a 20-yearold male assistant being picked up by police at a hotel in Kuantan.

In a statement to the press, Acryl said the four are the main suspects behind an investment scheme supposedly involving hotels in Mecca which offered investors returns of between 10 to 30 per cent each month.

“The husband is the one who created the scheme and was mainly assisted by his son while the wife was actively managing matters related to the scheme,” said Acryl who revealed that police found the woman hiding under a bed when they arrived to arrest her.

He also said that police have received a total of 37 police reports in connection with the scheme involving losses amounting to RM3.8 million, with eight investigation papers being opened.

“Information obtained indicated the scheme managed to attract a large number of investors, but the majority of them are unwilling to lodge police reports at they remain hopeful of being able to get back their investments.”

Following the arrest of the four suspects, police seized six vehicles – a Land Cruiser, Hyundai Starex, Volkswagen Polo, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Vellfire, and Toyota Estima – and are working to trace money believed to be kept by the suspects in bank accounts overseas.

It is also believed that there have been no reports lodged in Sarawak so far involving the scheme.