Police liaising with Pakistani authorities over 130 Malaysians detained in scam raid

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman is liaising with Pakistani authorities through the Foreign Ministry to obtain further details about a raid on a suspected cyber scam centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the matter had been referred to the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director following the detention of 130 Malaysians in the raid.

"Some (of the Malaysians arrested) have valid visas, while others have overstayed their visas.

"We still need assistance from the Pakistani authorities to obtain all the relevant details," he said after attending an appreciation dinner organised by the Malaysian Ex-Police Association last night.

Khalid said he had instructed the CCID to maintain contact with Pakistani authorities and did not rule out the possibility of sending officers to the country.

On the identities of those detained, he said police had yet to receive a complete list from Pakistani authorities.

"We have not received the full list of names, but the Pakistani authorities have informed us that those detained are holders of Malaysian passports.

"They come from various races and we will obtain further details as soon as possible," he said.

Earlier, Pakistani media reported that the country's National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had raided a call centre at KASA Tower, Bahria Town Phase VIII, Rawalpindi, over suspected cyber scam activities targeting Malaysians.

According to news portal ProPakistani on Wednesday, the syndicate made calls posing as bank customer service officers before contacting victims through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications.

Victims were told that suspicious transactions had been detected in their bank accounts. Their calls were then transferred to other individuals posing as Malaysian police officers.

Some of the suspects wore police uniforms and used backgrounds resembling police offices during video calls to make their claims appear more convincing.

Victims were threatened with allegations of money laundering or other criminal activities and pressured into transferring money.

The proceeds were believed to have been channelled through Touch 'n Go eWallet before being converted into cryptocurrency.

The report also said the syndicate was believed to be run by a Malaysian national based in Cambodia, with the assistance of supervisors and call centre managers in Pakistan.