Kota Kinabalu: Two local women were apprehended on Nov 2 in separate fraud cases involving land purchase and loan.
Penampang Police Chief DSP Sammy Newton said the cases are being probed under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
He said the first case involved a 44-year-old real estate agent who spent RM85,000 she received for a land purchase on herself instead of paying the money to the “landowner” in Penampang.
The suspect had earlier managed to convince a buyer to purchase a piece of land in the district. However, the said land never existed.
Sammy said the woman’s modus operandi was to deceive potential buyers by offering land for sale.
“The unknowing buyer handed her a cash deposit of RM85,000 which the woman took for her own use,” he added.
The second case involved a 31-year-old woman who was said to have scammed another woman in desperate need of cash.
Sammy said the victim met the suspect and was then introduced to her elder brother.
The brother then brought the victim to a moneylender, supposedly to help her with the loan process.
A few days later, the suspect called the victim, claiming that her brother had beaten up the moneylender and that the victim’s application was at risk of being rejected.
“She told the victim that she must pay RM7,200 for her brother’s bail and also to ensure her application would not be in jeopardy.
“The victim then deposited the sum in several transactions to the suspect’s account.”
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