GEORGE TOWN: It was barely 5am when I arrived at the quiet, upscale neighbourhood in Batu Maung on the southern tip of Penang island.
The street lay cloaked in darkness, broken only by the glow of streetlights and the occasional headlights of unmarked vehicles pulling up silently.
I wasn't the only reporter there, other media boys had also gathered to cover a sting by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The night before, we had attended a briefing at the Penang MACC headquarters, where special operations division senior director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin outlined the plan – without revealing full details of the covert operation.
A nasi kandar restaurant was our rendezvous point, and at 5.45am sharp, we got the green light to follow the raiding team to a gated residential community.
A few school buses passed by as we waited at the security entrance.
Moments later, a white MACC van arrived, carrying members of the elite Anti-Corruption Tactical Squad (ACTS) gearing up for action.
Clad in full tactical gear, the officers moved swiftly into the luxury multi-storey residence.
I could hear the heavy thud of their boots on the tiles as they stormed in, clearing each room and securing the premises.
Even from outside, I could feel the tension.
This wasn't just a routine raid; it was the epicentre of a multi-state operation, planned with surgical precision.
Inside, several women – believed to be the suspect's wife, mother, and domestic helper – looked shocked by the sudden arrival.
But the man they were after was nowhere to be found. We later learned the foreign national had left the country two days earlier.
From Batu Maung, the operation shifted to a second key location: a large scrap metal processing and storage facility in Jalan Bukit Minyak, Seberang Perai.
The scene here was more chaotic, with about 30 workers on-site – some confused, others visibly shaken.
One man, believed to be the supervisor, stepped forward and promised full cooperation. After questioning and checks, the workers were released.
No arrests were made that day, but this was just the beginning.
The hunt is now on – not just for rogue businessmen, but also for civil servants who helped protect the syndicate.
