KUCHING: Police crippled seven online fraud syndicates following seven raids in Bintulu, Kuching, Padawan, Miri and Sibu under Op Magpie last month, leading to the arrest of 42 individuals.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Saifullizan Ishak said those arrested comprised 36 men and six women, aged between 19 and 61, including 14 locals and 28 foreign nationals.
“The seven raids targeted two bungalows, three terrace houses and two apartments believed to have been used as call centres for the syndicates’ fraudulent activities,” he told a press conference here today.
He said the syndicates were allegedly involved in investment scams, cryptocurrency fraud, online gambling and the handling of illicit funds, with victims targeted in Japan, China, Indonesia and Austria.
“Other modus operandi included job offer scams, phone scams, love scams, fraudulent online purchases and non-existent loan schemes,” he said, adding that the syndicates had operated from the premises for periods ranging from 10 days to 11 months.
Most of the suspects are believed to have entered the country using social visit passes.
Saifullizan said police also seized equipment worth about RM230,000, including 33 laptops, four desktop computer sets, seven mobile phones, five UniFi device sets, a Starlink unit and a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
He said the cases were being investigated under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code.
He also urged the public to report suspicious activities, particularly the presence of unusually large numbers of foreign nationals in areas such as abandoned factories, newly developed housing estates, sparsely occupied apartment complexes and resorts.
In a separate case, Saifullizan said Sarawak police recorded their biggest seizure of the year involving untaxed cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, worth RM9.7 million, following a raid at a private jetty along Jalan Sungai Mauh in Sibu on Nov 7.
He said the raid was conducted by the Region 5 Marine Police Force (Sibu) at about 8am, during which a local man in his 20s was found behaving suspiciously near a shipping container.
“Further inspection uncovered various types of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes believed to be untaxed. The man failed to produce any documentation for the goods stored inside the container,” he said.
He added that the man was detained along with the seized goods to assist in investigations under the Customs Act 1967.
