KUALA LUMPUR: A crime syndicate that operated both a job scam operation and “sextortion” crimes, led by a 23-year-old mastermind, has been busted in a joint operation led by Bukit Aman.
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail, at a press conference Tuesday (Feb 10), said that the operation, dubbed Ops Bugil, was launched following investigations into the syndicate that had operated in and outside the country.
“The group was involved in online sextortion and was led by a 23-year-old with 11 members aged between 18 and 37-years-old. Based on reports received all over the country, the group had been active since 2024 and had led to losses of around RM3mill,” he said.
For their sextortion operation, the group would create fake social media pages to entice victims to make video calls and send phishing link to those duped.
“The victim’s lewd videos would then be used against them to extort money,” he said.
Investigations also showed that the same syndicate would recruit local victims, including underaged ones, with the promise of high pay for jobs overseas.
“They were first promised pay of RM2,200 to RM4,000 a month when they are trained before being sent overseas with the promise of jobs with pay of around US$2,500 (RM9,820).
“The victims, once overseas, will be forced to work for 12 hours a day while having their movements controlled. They will also be abused physically and sexually if they refuse orders.
“They will also be forced to pay a fee of around RM30,000 if they wish to leave the ‘job’,” he said.
Police investigations are underway to determine the amount of victims trafficked overseas.
On Jan 15, the police arrested six suspects as part of their investigations into the group.
“All have prior police records, including the production of child pornography, drug trafficking and cable theft,” he said.
The six will be charged on Feb 12 in Johor Baru, he added.
