Mohamad Zainal inspects the guard of honour during the assembly. — Photo by Chimon Upon

KUCHING (April 23): Commercial crime losses in Sarawak surged to RM42.6 million in the first three months of 2026, driven largely by a spike in online scams, said Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah.

He said 1,304 cases were recorded from Jan 1 to March 31 this year, up from 849 cases in the same period last year, representing an increase of 53.59 per cent.

“The increase must be viewed seriously as it clearly shows that commercial crime, particularly cybercrime, is becoming more widespread and requires a more aggressive and focused enforcement approach,” he said during the Sarawak police monthly assembly held at the Sarawak Contingent Police Headquarters parade ground here.

Mohamad Zainal said online scams remained the main contributor, including e-commerce fraud, non-existent investment and loan schemes, fake job offers and phone scams.

“The modus operandi of these crimes is becoming increasingly sophisticated, utilising technology and digital platforms to deceive victims regardless of age, education or occupation,” he said.

Of the total losses, Mohamad Zainal said investment scams recorded the highest at RM25 million involving 199 cases, followed by phone scams (RM5.7 million, 89 cases), non-existent loan scams (RM1.5 million, 214 cases), e-commerce fraud (RM1.4 million, 272 cases) and job scams (RM1 million, 73 cases).

To curb the rise in cyber commercial crimes, the Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department had intensified enforcement efforts through targeted arrest operations.

“In 2026, a total of 508 individuals were arrested in connection with commercial crime cases, and all have been successfully brought before the courts,” he said.

Mohamad Zainal added that key breakthroughs included the dismantling of several calling centre syndicates using WhatsApp, websites and sim box or GSM gateway devices to scam both local and international victims.

Police also crippled syndicates involved in selling ATM cards for fraudulent purposes in Kuching and Padawan, unlicensed money-lending activities in Sibu, and online gaming scams.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Zainal said the overall crime in Sarawak recorded a positive decline, with index crime cases dropping by 262 cases or about 21 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2025.

However, he said several serious offences showed an uptick, with murder cases increasing by one case, rape by six cases, and armed gang robbery by one case.

He added that drug abuse continues to be closely linked to crime, with 516 out of 2,117 individuals arrested for various offences during the period testing positive for drugs.

Mohamad Zainal stressed that the police will continue to ramp up enforcement against drug-related cases through the Narcotic Crime Investigation Department, given its close link to criminal activity.

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