98 held in raid on shuttered Pahang resort-turned-scam hub

Ninety-eight people were arrested in a raid on a resort in Sungai Lembing, Pahang, which had been closed since last year but was allegedly being used as a base for an international scam syndicate.

Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said 95 foreigners and three Malaysians were held, including a man believed to be the resort owner, Utusan Malaysia reported.

The foreigners comprised 88 Chinese nationals, two Myanmar nationals, and one each from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Russia, aged between 20 and 75.

The three Malaysians comprised the suspected resort owner and a man and woman believed to work there.

Seized items included 100 mobile phones, 120 computers, a CCTV system, nine packs of unused SIM cards, RM5,000 in cash and 11 Starlink sets believed to have been used for internet access.

Officers also took 49 Chinese passports, one passport each from Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Russia, and an Indonesian travel document.

Zakaria said the syndicate was believed to have rented the resort premises for about RM30,000 a month.

“Its location was rather remote, and the syndicate also used certain individuals as lookouts to monitor movements in and out of the area,” he was quoted as saying at a press conference today.

Zakaria said preliminary investigations suggested that the syndicate moved between countries to avoid detection, with records in the seized passports showing that its members previously operated in Cambodia and Vietnam.

He said the syndicate likely used Starlink because it relies on satellites, not local telecommunications networks.

Zakaria said 48 detainees were being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while 45 were being investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act and two under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.

The three Malaysians are being held under Section 56(1)(d).

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