TELUK INTAN: Police have arrested 13 members of a syndicate that allegedly used Malaysian passport details to open Alipay accounts for transacting online gambling scams targeting Chinese nationals.
Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the suspects, comprising five Malaysians and eight Myanmar nationals aged between 20 and 44, were arrested in two raids here on Monday (Sept 28).
They were believed to be the syndicate's leaders and agents responsible for processing the accounts.
"Investigations found that the syndicate acted as a payment gateway agent to transfer proceeds from online gambling scams targeting Chinese nationals.
"The modus operandi involved using mobile phones for facial scans and offering RM500 to locals willing to open Alipay accounts by providing their Malaysian passport details," he told a press conference at the Hilir Perak district police headquarters on Friday.
Mohd Alwi said the syndicate, believed to have been operating since mid-July, had opened about 60 Alipay accounts using the personal details of locals.
It allegedly earned a 2% commission on each transaction, generating an estimated RM2,000 a day.
Police seized 65 mobile phones, a laptop, eight Malaysian passports, 71 SIM cards and an SUV worth RM190,000 during the raids. The case is being investigated under Sections 424A and 120(b) of the Penal Code.
On another development, Mohd Alwi said police have not ruled out secret society involvement in the shooting of a 41-year-old businessman at a petrol station in Bidor on Tuesday.
"We are not ruling out that possibility, but a thorough investigation will be conducted before any conclusion is reached," he said, adding that police have recorded statements from 10 witnesses, including the victim.
The businessman suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder after he was allegedly shot by two armed assailants at a petrol station in Bidor Sentral at about 6 pm.
He is in stable condition after undergoing surgery at Seri Manjung Hospital. - Bernama
