BESUT, Jan 2 — Police expect more reports from victims of an umrah (small haj) cheating scam allegedly managed by Yayasan Bakti Negara Terengganu (YBNT) soon.

Besut police chief Supt Mohd Zamri Mohd Rowi said as of Saturday, Besut police had received 40 reports on the scam involving 4,000 victims and deposits totalling RM14.2 million from Nov 21.

He said many victims had come forward to lodge police reports after news of two suspects nabbed by police for their involvement in the case had spread.

"The number of victims who are expected to lodge reports is expected to go up based on the current scenario of five reports lodged on Saturday,” he told reporters here today.

Last week police obtained a Kuala Terengganu Magistrate’s Court order for a five-day remand of two suspects, including a director, to help in the Umrah cheating case involving about 3,000 victims and millions of ringgit.

The two suspects, one a 28-year-old and another in his 30s, were detained for further investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

Mohd Zamri said two main suspects in the case had lodged three police reports to claim they had been threatened.

"Police believe the threats were carried out by victims who were angry at being cheated and wanted their money back. The case is being investigated under Section 384 of the Penal Code for extortion and Section 506/427 of the same code for intimidation and mischief,” he said. — Bernama