KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf, disclosed that police toppled a kampung (free range) chicken investment scam syndicate, involving losses of over RM3.2 million through raids across several states on June 26.
He said that the states covered were Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Terengganu, and Labuan, leading to the arrests of 11 individuals aged between 38 and 56, including the organisation’s founders, directors, and volunteers.
“Initial investigations revealed that the scam syndicate, operating under the guise of Pertubuhan Amal Kita Kinta, Perak, had been active since early last year, promising returns of either one kampung chicken or RM13 per month for every RM250 invested.
“Investors deposited funds into the organisation’s bank account. However, from September 2023 onwards, they stopped receiving the promised returns. A total of 85 police reports on the case were received nationwide,“ he said at a press conference here today.
Police seized 13 luxury vehicles, 13 gold chains, two gold rings, 20 smartphones, 17 laptops, eight checkbooks, 37 bank cards, 2,143 sheep, and numerous documents suspected to be related to the scam.
They also froze the organisation’s 34 bank and unit trust accounts, totaling RM6.5 million, under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
On a separate note, Ramli advised the public to exercise caution when making donations, especially if it involved unregistered individuals or organisations.
He said the public’s tendency to sympathise and offer help to individuals facing adversity creates opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to exploit these sentiments for financial gain under the guise of charity.
“The public must ensure that their donations are made only to registered organizations that undergo audit processes. They also need to know how the donations are used.
“Bank accounts of organisations collecting donations must also undergo audits to ensure that the funds received are directed to the intended parties,“ he emphasised.
He was commenting on the recent arrests related to the misappropriation of donations.
Yesterday, a social media influencer couple was remanded for four days to assist in an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations.
A source from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission disclosed that the couple is suspected of misappropriating public donations estimated at RM3 million, since 2020.
In another instance, police arrested a man on July 9 at his residence in Wangsa Maju, for allegedly being involved in a fraud case related to the collection of donations since last year, resulting in losses exceeding RM140,000.
