KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has busted a scam syndicate that extorted money from the public under the guise of protecting illegal modifications to electricity metres in the Klang Valley.
On Tuesday, five members of the syndicate, including four men and one woman aged between 20 and 30, were arrested around Kuala Lumpur.
Following their arrest, Magistrate Nadiah Abd Razak granted a six-day remand for the four male suspects, effective until Aug 27,after an application made by MACC at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court this morning.
According to sources, the syndicate's modus operandi involved contacting and inspecting customers' premises, falsely claiming unauthorised modifications to electricity metres.
"The victims were threatened with legal action amounting to tens of thousands of ringgit unless they paid a bribe to cover up the alleged offences," the source said.
The bribe amounts ranged from RM5,000 to RM10,000 per premises, depending on whether the property was residential or commercial.
The syndicate's mastermind, in his 30s, and two other members were identified as contractors from an electricity supply company responsible for cutting off power supplies.
The remaining two were involved in gathering information on targeted victims.
Investigations revealed that the syndicate had collected hundreds of thousands of ringgit from thousands of victims nationwide.
MACC Putrajaya director Azizul Ahmad Sarkawi confirmed the arrests.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 16(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
He did not rule out the possibility of further arrests, noting that the syndicate had been operating for over a year.
He urged victims of the syndicate to report their cases by contacting investigating officer R. Kumaran at 03 – 88911657.