New: Melaka Police Raid Two Scam Call Centres, Arrest 29 Foreigners

A police raid in Melaka have arrested 29 foreign nationals in two raids on premises believed to be operating as scam call centres, one targeting victims in China and the other in Vietnam.

Melaka Tengah district police chief Halim Abas told a press conference on Wednesday (Oct 22) that the suspects were picked up in separate operations at a hotel in Melaka Raya and a resort near Ayer Keroh.

Hotel Units Used for Fake Investment Scheme

In the first raid, carried out between 1pm and 3pm on Oct 20, police entered four rooms at the Melaka Raya hotel and detained 14 Chinese nationals, 11 men and three women aged between 21 and 52.

Police believe the group ran online investment schemes that did not exist, aimed at people in China. The syndicate is thought to have started operating in mid-September, with those detained paid about RM3,000 a month to work as so-called customer service officers.

Officers seized 28 mobile phones, two laptops, a tablet, a translation device, five control hubs used to run banks of phones, 96 prepaid SIM cards and RM6,400 in cash. The items were valued at about RM43,500.

Love Scam Hub at Ayer Keroh Resort

The second raid took place at about 3pm on Oct 21 at a resort in the Ayer Keroh area. Police arrested 15 men aged 21 to 40, comprising 14 Vietnamese nationals and one Chinese national.

This group is suspected of running love scams targeting people in Vietnam. Police said it had been active since early October, with workers paid about RM2,500 each.

Items seized there included 11 computers, 24 mobile phones, a Starlink router, a remote control set, a translation device and 15 passports, worth about RM43,400 in total.

Suspects Remanded for Four Days

Five investigation papers have been opened, four for the first case and one for the second. The cases are being investigated for cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code and under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

The suspects from the hotel raid have been remanded until Oct 24, while those detained at the resort are being held until Oct 25. Police did not disclose how much victims may have lost.

The raids add to a series of operations against foreign-run scam syndicates using hotels and short-stay premises in Malaysia as bases to target victims overseas.

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