April 27, 2026
World
World
WASHINGTON, April 27 — A man accused of targeting US administration officials at a Washington event has been arrested after allegedly opening fire, injuring a Secret Service agent.
MELAKA, April 28 — Police have crippled two scam “calling centre” operations involved in bogus sex services, romance scams and fraudulent investment schemes after raiding two premises in Taman Kota Bendahari.
Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said a total of 45 foreign suspects — from China, Vietnam and Indonesia — aged between 20 and 44, were arrested during coordinated raids at 11am on April 23.
In the first operation, authorities detained 19 Chinese men, one Chinese woman and one Indonesian woman, aged 28 to 44. Seized items included three laptops, 62 mobile phones, a modem and router, 18 scam scripts, and eight passports.
Investigations revealed the group was promoting non-existent sex services, believed to be targeting Chinese nationals via mobile applications.
A second raid at a nearby location led to the arrest of 19 Vietnamese men, four Vietnamese women and one Chinese man, aged between 20 and 42. Police confiscated 21 computers with accessories, 23 mobile phones, two modems and 24 passports.
This syndicate was found to be running romance scams and fake investment schemes aimed at Vietnamese victims through apps. Victims were reportedly lured into cryptocurrency investments via specific websites after trust was established.
The case is being investigated under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code, along with Sections 15(1)(c) and 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. All suspects have been remanded until April 30.
Authorities believe both groups had been operating since January. Operators earned between RM2,500 and RM5,000 monthly, while supervisors received RM5,000 to RM6,000, depending on performance. Members were also incentivised with commissions ranging from RM500 to RM2,000 for each successful victim.
The public is urged to stay cautious when making financial transactions and to verify phone numbers and bank accounts through the Semak Mule platform. Victims of cybercrime are advised to immediately contact their banks or the National Scam Response Centre at 997 to halt any transactions. — Bernama
