AN African man suspected of involvement in an online romance scam sustained broken ribs after jumping from the third floor of an apartment block while attempting to flee police during a raid in Nilai yesterday afternoon.
The operation, conducted at approximately 1.50pm in a residential area, led to the arrest of the injured man along with two other foreign men and two foreign women believed to be part of the syndicate.
Nilai District Police Chief, Superintendent Abdul Malik Hasim, said the group had been targeting both Malaysian and foreign women through social media platforms, using false profiles to lure victims into fake relationships.
“A team from the Nilai District Police Headquarters conducted the raid and arrested three foreign male suspects aged between their 30s and 40s,” he said.
“Also detained were two foreign women in their 30s. Equipment suspected to have been used in their fraudulent activities was seized at the scene.”
He confirmed that during the raid, one of the suspects jumped from the third floor in a bid to escape and sustained rib fractures.
“All suspects are believed to have targeted victims locally and abroad using Facebook accounts under various aliases,” Abdul Malik said.
“The syndicate has been operating actively since August 2023 and is believed to have amassed profits amounting to RM1 million through deception.”
Items seized during the operation included four laptops, 15 mobile phones, two tablets, 11 debit cards from various banks, two Wi-Fi modems, two USB drives, and a hard drive.
The case is being investigated under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code, relating to cheating and criminal conspiracy.
“All suspects have been remanded for four days starting today until 1 September, as approved by the Seremban Magistrate’s Court,” he added. - August 29, 2025
