MELAKA: Police have crippled a phone scam syndicate targeting Japanese citizens following a raid on a rented villa in Alai, making it the first case in the state to involve Japanese nationals as key suspects.
A total of 17 foreign nationals were arrested during the Oct 4 operation at Kampung Bukit Punggur, Melaka Tengah OCPD Assistant Commissioner Halim Abas told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday (Oct 6).
The suspects, aged 23 to 55, include 10 Japanese men, one Japanese woman, four Chinese men, and two Myanmar women.
Police raided the premises at 2.30pm following intelligence gathering, catching several suspects in three separate rooms operating computer terminals.
"Initial investigations indicate the villa served as a call centre for phone scams targeting victims in Japan, operating since early August," ACP Halim said.
He added that the suspects allegedly acted as customer service operators tasked with contacting potential victims.
Police seized 21 mobile phones, a laptop, two monitors, two central processing units, keyboards, a router, and 28 printed sheets containing Japanese-language phone scripts.
ACP Halim noted that while the script documents and digital equipment are undergoing forensic examination to determine the syndicate's exact modus operandi, financial flows and total losses remain under investigation.
All 17 suspects have been remanded for 14 days until Oct 18 under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. Only five suspects possessed valid passports at the time of arrest; immigration authorities are verifying the status and work permits of the entire group.
