PETALING JAYA: He would rent a car, make regular payments for several months and gain the owner’s trust before disappearing with the vehicle.
The smooth-talking conman would then sell the car to an unsuspecting buyer, who had paid for a vehicle the seller had no right to sell.
In other cases, he would use the vehicles as collateral for loans from moneylenders, never returning for them.
Then the scam would begin again.
Since 2018, the 29-year-old has allegedly left a trail of victims and amassed millions of ringgit through the elaborate scam.
Despite multiple arrests, court charges and penalties over the years, he has continued the scheme, returning with increasingly sophisticated methods.
On Monday, four victims approached MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong for help after finding themselves caught up in the scheme.
Chong said police had told the victims that many others were believed to have fallen prey to the same suspect.
“He would pay the rental for a few months and gain the owner’s trust before disappearing with the vehicle which would either end up being sold or in the hands of a moneylender, leaving the original owner without his vehicle and the new buyer without his money,” he said.
Among those seeking Chong’s help was 31-year-old Aaron Tiyagarajan, whose identity was allegedly used by the suspect to dupe three other victims, all of whom have lodged police reports.
Aaron said the fallout had left him suffering sleepless nights after receiving multiple calls from police officers who initially believed he was the culprit.
“I have no idea how the suspect got hold of my identity. I have never lost my MyKad but as a result of the conman’s actions, I was arrested by police and remanded for investigations due to the mistaken identity.”
Abdul Muaz Ahmad Baharudin, who lost his car, said the suspect rented his high-end multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in April and paid the rental for three months before becoming uncontactable.
“Last month, I learnt that he had posted an advertisement offering my car for sale.”
A 31-year-old victim from Penang similarly lost his sedan after renting it to the suspect.
In the latest case, early last month, businessman Cheah Hwa Kong, 49, from Puchong, Selangor said he lost possession of his MPV after renting it to the suspect for two weeks at RM3,000.
“He paid the rental but two weeks later, he did not return my car and gave all sorts of excuses.
“The GPS tracking system in my car was also disabled making the car untraceable,” he said.
Cheah eventually traced the vehicle to Taiping, Perak, on Sept 26 and had it towed back.
He later learnt that the suspect had allegedly used the car as collateral with a moneylender.
Chong said checks showed that dozens of police reports had been lodged against the conman, who also has a criminal record.
He urged police to intensify their investigations and bring the suspect to book.
