SHAH ALAM: Selangor police have received two reports against an independent preacher over alleged fraud involving the development of a religious school, involving losses of RM140,000.
State police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan (pic) said the reports were lodged in Gombak and Shah Alam by two women in their 40s.
"The first victim is the owner of a company who knew the suspect, a local man in his 30s known to be an independent preacher, in 2020," he said in a statement on Sunday (July 6).
"The suspect allegedly deceived the victim over the building of a religious school believed to be located in Selangor, to make three deposits totalling RM60,000 from August to September 2020."
Comm Hussein said the second woman claimed that she made a payment of RM80,000 around 2019.
He said the suspect allegedly used the name of a religious institution to gain the victims' trust.
He reminded the public to always verify any requests for donations or investments, especially those involving religious and educational institutions, and not to proceed if their authenticity cannot be confirmed.
"Avoid making financial transactions through personal accounts or companies that are not legally registered," he said.
On Saturday (July 5), Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said that his team was investigating a case involving the dissemination of pornographic videos by an independent preacher.
ACP Iqbal said the investigation was carried out following a police report received from a woman, the second wife of the man in question, on June 16, alleging that the preacher had spread a video of his intimate relationship with his wives and several other women.
Meanwhile, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) has revoked the religious teaching credentials of an ustaz who was recently arrested by the police on suspicion of being involved in a criminal case in 2022.
MAIS chairman Datuk Salehuddin Saidin said the individual had also been detained by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) in September last year for teaching Islam without authorisation. – Bernama
