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KUCHING, Aug 4: Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) have been urged to work together to hunt down the mastermind behind the foreign fraud syndicate that has set a victim’s house on fire on July 7.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) public complaints bureau chief Milton Foo noted that the seven criminals the loan shark syndicate sent to commit arson had been arrested and charged in court.
However, he stressed that the mastermind—the syndicate originated from Singapore—is still at large, thus, still putting the victim’s family in danger.
Following this, he flew to Singapore last Thursday (Aug 3) to provide information and update the SPF on the case.
He and the victim had also visited the High Commission of Malaysia in Singapore and briefed the relevant officers about this case.
“Three houses were burnt 100 per cent, 95 per cent and five per cent, respectively, and two vehicles were destroyed due to the loan scam which occurred and originated in Singapore.
“I appeal to the SPF to investigate this loan scam thoroughly as this has been extended to the offence of arson or mischief by fire which involved property destruction and life-threatening or threatened to cause grievous bodily harm to others,” he said in a statement today.
Based on the victim’s chronology of the case, it started when the 28-year-old victim showed interest in acquiring a personal loan on Facebook on Feb 16 and communicated with the scammers who continuously asked for payments under various pretexts.
Within three days, the victim had made nine transactions amounting to 32,000 Singapore dollars before realising that he was scammed and lodging a report with the Singapore police.
However, the syndicate continued to harass him and sent a false message accusing him of not repaying the loan. Confused, he checked his bank account and found an additional 300 Singapore dollars deposited, which he promptly handed to the police. The scammers then demanded 30,000 Singapore dollars from him.
On July 7, at 2.45pm, the victim received a video of a burning house only to discover that it was his ancestral home in Kota Samarahan. Following that, six police reports were made by the victim and his family members.
On July 19, the police announced the arrest of seven local suspects in relation to the arson. Subsequently, they were charged in court. – DayakDaily
