Second suspect in Cambodia jobs scam arrested at Kuching airport

SIBU: A second suspect wanted in connection with the Cambodia jobs scam has been arrested at the Kuching International Airport (KIA).

Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Supt Mustafa Kamal Gani Abdullah said the 26-year old man was nabbed at 12.20pm on Thursday (April 25) after his flight from Pontianak touched down at the KIA.

He said the suspect was wanted on suspicion of cheating five persons in the Cambodia job scam.

Supt Mustafa added that the suspect would first be remanded before the deputy public prosecutor filed charges against him later.

On March 5, the first of the three suspects, a 25-year-old cook, Chang Ying Shiong was detained along Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce in Kuching around 10pm.

He was charged with cheating at the Kuching magistrate's court on March 12 under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 417 of the same code.

The offence provides for a maximum five-year jail term, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on a RM10,000 bail in two local sureties.

Police believe the two suspects – and another who is still at large – were local facilitators in the scam.

The Cambodia job scam case saw 47 Malaysians being detained at the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Prison, Cambodia. Forty of them were from Sarawak.

The victims had applied for work in Cambodia through various social media networks between October and November 2018 and even transferred a deposit into a bank account.

All 40 were released on Feb 17, 2019 after successful negotiations between Wisma Putra and the Cambodian government. They have since returned home.