KOTA KINABALU, June 10 — A total of 341 individuals were arrested and assets worth more than RM1.10 million were seized in 12 raids carried out in Sabah and Labuan between January and June 8 in a crackdown on scam call centre syndicates.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the special operation was carried out by the State Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) following continuous intelligence gathering and monitoring.
He said the raids were conducted in Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Tawau, Sandakan and Penampang.
Of the cases investigated, Jauteh said 11 had been charged in court, while those arrested, aged between 17 and 60, comprised 305 men and 36 women.
“They comprised 303 Chinese nationals, 27 locals, nine Vietnamese nationals, and one each from Taiwan and Laos,” he told a press conference here today.
Jauteh said investigations revealed that the suspects were assigned various roles within the syndicates, including operations supervisors, customer service officers, system programmers, project managers, financial administrators, and personnel directly contacting victims.
He said the syndicates were involved in various commercial crime activities, including non-existent investment schemes, loan and love scams, as well as online gambling, targeting victims not only in Malaysia but also in South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Hong Kong and Thailand.
“This suggests efforts by certain parties to turn Sabah into a hub for scam call centre operations, particularly online fraud,” he said.
The operation also led to the seizure of various equipment and cash worth about RM1.1 million, including 1,109 mobile phones, 128 computers and desktops, 20 laptops, 18 modems, and RM210,265 in cash.
Jauteh said that investigations were carried out under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code for cheating and criminal conspiracy as well as Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
He added that the Sabah CCID would continue to intensify intelligence operations, monitoring and enforcement efforts to prevent Sabah from becoming a hub for local and international fraud syndicates. — Bernama
