ONLINE SCAM: POLICE DETAIN 48 INDIVIDUALS IN PORT DICKSON

PORT DICKSON, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Police detained 48 individuals involved in an online scam syndicate through raids during Ops Belatuk and Ops Nuri, implemented in four districts here between Nov 14 and Dec 3.

Port Dickson district police chief Supt Maslan Udin said the suspects, comprising 40 men and eight women, and involving 35 locals and 13 foreign nationals, were aged between 19 and 40 years.

He said in the operations, his team confiscated 271 branded handphones, branded personal computers (44), various branded cars (eight) as well as cash amounting to RM10,150, with the estimated value of the seized items totalling RM820,150.

"The syndicate, believed to have been operating for two months, involves an investment scam and also offers non-existent workers.

"However, we have managed to thwart their activities through the raids and the Magistrate’s Court here has fined all the suspects between RM5,000 and RM7,000 for the offences," he said at a press conference at the Port Dickson district police headquarters (IPD) here today.

Meanwhile, he said the Port Dickson IPD disposed of several items involving 194 investigation papers from 2019 to this year for cases related to contraband, gambling, general goods, and bitcoin worth a total of RM210,000.

Maslan said among the items involved in the bitcoin cases includes 288 mining machine equipment, 23 blower units, a laptop and three distribution boards.

Additionally, he said the case involved contraband namely 601 cigarette boxes and 568 cartons of various brands of cigarettes that are being investigated under Section 135(1) of the Customs Act 1967, as well as gambling, which includes 175 mobile phones, 107 portable printing machines, paper slips for recording illegal lottery numbers, boards, bowls and dice.

"All the disposed case items received orders to be disposed under Section 406A and 407A of the Criminal Procedure Code by the Port Dickson Court," he said.

He also said that all bitcoin machines were disposed of manually while the cigarettes were destroyed in an incinerator by a company appointed with certification from the Solid Waste Management Department, Ministry of Housing and Local Government to dispose of government assets.

-- BERNAMA