SHAH ALAM – Police have arrested a man suspected of masterminding a vehicle and property scam involving the alleged misuse of photographs of the Raja Muda of Selangor, with total losses estimated at RM1.42 million.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the 40-year-old suspect was arrested in Johor Bahru at about 5pm on Tuesday following intelligence gathering into 26 police reports received nationwide since 2023.
“During the arrest, the suspect was found hiding at an acquaintance’s residence in Johor. The premises are believed to have served as his hideout after he went missing on Oct 13.
“Two siblings who were acquainted with the suspect were also arrested — a 26-year-old woman in Shah Alam, followed by her 27-year-old brother in Johor Bahru — on suspicion of conspiring to hide him,” he told a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters here today.
Shazeli said investigations found that the suspect used the same modus operandi with each victim, posing as an aide-de-camp to the Raja Muda of Selangor before offering properties and vehicles for sale.
He said the self-employed suspect had no affiliation with or official appointment at any palace or royal institution in Selangor.
“In Selangor alone, 15 police reports have been lodged, involving losses totalling RM960,020. The suspect is believed to have been active since 2023, with victims also reported in Kuala Lumpur, Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Perlis.
“Police are applying for remand orders for all three suspects to assist in investigations. The case is still being investigated to determine whether any other members of the group or accomplices remain at large,” he said.
In a separate development, Shazeli said the Selangor Commercial Crime Investigation Department had arrested 58 individuals in raids conducted from Oct 20 to 26 to crack down on online scam syndicates.
He said the suspects, aged between 20 and 50, comprised eight local men and 50 foreign nationals — 45 men and five women — most of whom originated from East Asia.
“Police are checking their documents with the Immigration Department. Preliminary investigations found that all had entered the country through legal entry points,” he said.
He said the suspects worked as customer service operators involved in investment scams, love scams and fake job offers targeting victims overseas, including in Europe and East Asia, since August.
Police also seized communication devices worth RM228,000 during the operation, including 117 mobile phones, 21 desktop computers, 16 laptops, eight routers or modems, two iPads and two central processing units.
All the suspects have been remanded for varying periods under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code. –BERNAMA