KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) crippled 112 fraudulent call-centre syndicates through Ops Magpie, in an integrated operation nationwide from October 19 to October 31.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said 932 individuals were arrested in 153 raids during the continuous 13-day operation.
The success surpassed the initial target of 100 raids, with the team also taking proactive steps by inspecting 650 premises at various locations.
"Of the 932 suspects arrested, 106 were locals while the majority, 826 individuals, were foreign nationals," he said during a media conference at Menara KPJ today.
Rusdi added that the detainees comprised 796 men and 136 women, with Chinese nationals accounting for the highest number at 538, followed by Vietnamese (93), Taiwanese (40), Indonesians (38), and Japanese (21), while the rest were from Pakistan, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
Elaborating on the suspects' roles, he said authorities identified 809 individuals as operators or customer service officers, while another 70 served as supervisors and group leaders.
"Investigations are ongoing to identify the main masterminds who coordinated operations, managed finances and provided facilities to the syndicates, through digital forensic analysis and financial flow records," Rusdi said.
On operational tactics, high-rise residences remain the syndicates' preferred choice for evading the authorities, with 106 raids conducted at condominiums and luxury residences, followed by ordinary terraced houses (34 premises), hotels or resorts (eight), and shophouses, offices, and warehouses (five).
"A total of 136 modus operandi records were identified, with non-existent investment fraud and love scams each recording 27 cases, followed by phone scams (25), online gambling (16), and non-existent job offers (11)," he said.
Rusdi noted that the syndicates operated across borders, with 130 records of overseas target victims and victims in China accounting for the highest number at 62, compared with only 14 in Malaysia.
On the seizure of case items, the CCID seized 2,058 mobile phones of various brands, 433 laptops and tablets, 161 desktop computers, 112 routers and modems, 40 passports and visas, seven vehicles, and RM102,635 in cash.
Following the operation, 117 investigation papers were opened, of which 45 have been charged in court.
The remaining 70 cases are still under investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 120B of the same code, for cheating and criminal conspiracy.
He advised the public to remain vigilant and not be easily deceived by investment offers or suspicious calls from unknown individuals.
Rusdi further reminded the public never to disclose personal banking information, passwords, Transaction Authorisation Codes, or One-Time Passwords to any third party.
