KUALA LUMPUR: Police will send officers to Pakistan to investigate the detention of 130 Malaysians in a raid on a suspected scam centre in Rawalpindi last month.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the officers would meet Pakistani authorities, record statements and examine devices seized during the raid.
He said examining the evidence was important to uncover the syndicate’s modus operandi, including its alleged use of Royal Malaysia Police uniforms to deceive victims.
“We need to arrange a meeting to obtain statements from the authorities there, as well as examine the evidence and devices seized. We also want more information about the parties who brought them to Pakistan,” he said at the CCID monthly press conference at Bukit Aman.
Rusdi said police received information about the detention at the end of October through official channels involving the Home Ministry and their Pakistani counterparts, although the arrests were made on Oct 13.
The identities of all 130 Malaysians were subsequently confirmed through cooperation between the police, embassies and Interpol.
He said 59 of those detained were from Sabah and 57 from Sarawak, with the rest from Johor, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan. Checks found that 92 had no criminal records in Malaysia, while the others had records involving various offences, including drugs, fraud and gambling. Two were wanted in connection with fraud cases in Sabah.
On their immigration status, 107 had overstayed their visas, 20 had valid visas, two had visa extensions and one had no valid travel documents. The Malaysians arrived in Pakistan in stages between June 8 and Sept 29, with the highest number, 53, arriving on Aug 3.
Addressing claims that they had been deceived by job offers, Rusdi said investigative experience showed that some people taken overseas to work for scam syndicates might have known the real purpose of their recruitment.
“However, based on investigative experience, there are individuals who are believed to know the true purpose of being taken abroad to work for a scam syndicate, but play different roles such as call operators, cooks or supervisors,” he said.
Pakistani media previously reported that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency raided premises at Kasa Tower, Bahria Town Phase VIII, Rawalpindi, allegedly used as a call centre for financial scams targeting Malaysians.
The syndicate reportedly impersonated bank customer service officers and police, using false allegations of money laundering to deceive victims. — BERNAMA