GEORGE TOWN: They prowled market places in search of the elderly to con them into parting with their money and jewellery.
The group of Chinese nationals, who introduced themselves as traditional healers, would first convince their victims into believing that bad luck and illnesses would soon befall them.
Besides selling medicines that could purportedly cure chronic illnesses, the Chinese nationals also offered to conduct a special cleansing ritual to ward off evil spirits at their homes.
All the victims needed to do was hand over their money and jewellery to the group in order for the rituals to be performed.
Their luck ran out last Thursday when a team from the Penang Commercial Crime Investigation Department detained five of them, including four women, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The suspects, aged between 40 and 50, have been remanded until today to facilitate an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. They were leaving for China.
Following their arrest, police believe they have solved five cheating cases amounting to RM124,400 in Penang.
Penang deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Fisol Salleh said travel documents had shown that the Chinese nationals had entered and exited the country numerous times using social visit passes.
“We seized nine mobile phones, five bags, various types of jewellery, 11 watches and a total of 94,300 yuan (RM60,880),” he said in a press conference at the state police headquarters yesterday.
DCP Fisol said the group had been active since January, adding that they would dupe their victims into buying medicines and paying for prayers in return for curing their illnesses.
He said the group would go to public markets early in the morning and target elderly women.
“They would convince the victims into believing that prayers were needed to get rid of bad luck and illness.
“But first, they needed to hand over money and jewellery for prayers to be conducted. The suspects also promised to return the money and jewellery kept in packages to the victims once the rituals were over. They could only open the package in a week or a month’s time.
“But when the victims opened the packages, their jewellery and money had been exchanged for stones and mineral water.
“It was then they realised they had been duped,” said DCP Fisol, adding that the Chinese nationals would also give their phone numbers to the victims for follow-up treatment.
He said police also believed that the suspects’ accomplices could be in Johor, as there were cases with similar modus operandi reported in the state.
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