.png)
A TOTAL of 71 individuals, including eight women, have been arrested in connection with a nationwide crackdown on financial fraud involving ATM cards, carried out between 29 and 31 July.
The arrests were part of Ops Khas Kad ATM, a special operation jointly undertaken by Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), targeting syndicates behind non-existent loan scams, unlicensed money-changing and remittance activities, as well as phone scams.
CCID Director, Commissioner Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, said the suspects – aged between 19 and 50 – include 55 Malaysian nationals and eight foreign men from Bangladesh, China, Nigeria and Indonesia.
“These individuals are believed to be part of a network involved in cash withdrawals using ATM cards belonging to mule account holders, linked to reports received by the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC),” Rusdi said during a press conference at JSJK headquarters in Menara KPJ on Friday.
The operation saw 59 raids conducted nationwide, including 24 in Kuala Lumpur, 11 in Penang, eight in Sabah, five in Perak, four in Pahang, three in Selangor, and two each in Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak.
Items seized during the raids included 925 ATM cards from various banks, RM392,266 in cash, 100 mobile phones, 32 SIM cards, 16 bags, five vehicles, several laptops, and a document printer.
Police also confiscated 55 documents related to loan applications, copies of business registration papers, and handwritten company records, in addition to 10 files containing borrower information, blank chequebooks, and a cheque receipt amounting to RM90,961.24.
Rusdi confirmed that 42 investigation papers had been opened under various sections of the Penal Code, including Section 420, Section 424, Section 424A, and Section 511, as well as under the Moneylenders Act 1951 – specifically Section 5(2), Section 15(1)(b), and Section 29AA.
“To date, 16 of the 71 individuals arrested have been charged in court, while the remaining 55 have been released on police bail pending further investigations,” he added. - August 8, 2025
