KUCHING, Feb 17 — A syndicate, headed by a local mastermind, is believed to have scammed the 47 Malaysians who ended up in prison in Cambodia, a Sarawak minister said.
Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said it is up to victims to lodge reports with the police for an investigation to be carried out against the mastermind.
“On our part, our job is completed after successfully bringing them back to Malaysia,” she told reporters after arriving with 43 Malaysians consisting of 40 from Sarawak and three from Sabah on a chartered flight from Siem Reap here this afternoon.
Four other Malaysians left Siem Reap for Kuala Lumpur this morning.
The cost of bringing the 47 Malaysians home was fully paid for by the Sarawak government.
Fatimah was the leader of a Sarawak government delegation assigned to negotiate and secure the release of the Malaysians.
Santubong Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who was also a member of the delegation, said: “We have some information on the syndicate and it is up to the police to do the investigation.
“There are few things that we know, but we don’t want to disclose,” Wan Junaidi, a former police officer, said at the press conference.
Fatimah said the key to successfully securing the release of the Malaysians is the concern shown by the state government on their welfare and wellbeing.
“The Cambodian government recognised our determination to secure the release of the Malaysians,” she said.
Fatimah also said Cambodian Minister with Special Functions Datuk Othsman Hassan was also very helpful in assisting the repatriation process.
She also thanked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for ordering the release of the Malaysians.
The Malaysians, who lived in two separate houses in Poipet, were arrested together with eight Chinese nationals in a raid by the police on December 11, 2018.
They were then detained in Banteay Meanchey provincial prison until their release two days ago.
The Malaysians had arrived in batches in Cambodia after being lured by a US$1,500 (RM6,535) monthly salary. However, upon arrival, their phones and personal documents were confiscated, and they were not allowed out of the house.
The ex-detainees, whose charges were related to illegal online gambling operations, were dropped after the intervention of Hun Sen, who learnt that they were victims of a syndicate.
