THE Royal Malaysia Police has crippled an international online scam syndicate following a sweeping multi-agency operation targeting cyber fraud networks believed to have been operating from upscale residential properties around the Klang Valley.
Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail said a total of 187 individuals were arrested while authorities confiscated assets worth RM57.68 million under Op Teguh 2.0, conducted between 6 and 7 May.
“The operation was carried out by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department of Bukit Aman in cooperation with the Criminal Investigation Department, Special Branch, the Anti-Money Laundering Division, CyberSecurity Malaysia and Telekom Malaysia,” he said during a press conference at Bukit Aman on Friday.
According to Mohd Khalid, the operation focused on international scam activities involving fraudulent call centres, fake investment schemes, financial scams and cross-border commercial crimes targeting both Malaysian and foreign victims.
Police conducted 46 coordinated raids at multiple residential premises, including luxury condominiums believed to have functioned as operational hubs for the syndicate.
“As a result of the operation, 187 individuals comprising 151 men and 36 women of various nationalities were successfully arrested for suspected involvement in cross-border online fraud activities,” he said.
Those detained included 129 Chinese nationals, 23 Malaysians, as well as individuals from Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Investigators believe the syndicate targeted victims primarily in Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan through multiple scam methods, including fraudulent investment schemes, phone scams, romance scams and online gambling operations.
Authorities also uncovered an extraordinary cache of luxury assets allegedly linked to illicit proceeds generated by the syndicate.
Among the major seizures were three luxury properties valued at RM38 million and 20 high-end vehicles worth RM6.58 million, including a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Mercedes-Benz G63, Toyota Supra MK4 and Zeekr 009 Executive.
Police further confiscated 67 luxury items estimated to be worth RM12 million, including designer watches, handbags, jewellery, wallets and gold bars.
In addition, investigators seized 556 digital devices comprising mobile phones, computers and laptops believed to have been used to facilitate the online scam operations.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, Section 120B of the Penal Code for criminal conspiracy and Section 5 of the Computer Crimes Act 1997.
The latest crackdown highlights growing concern among Malaysian authorities over the increasing sophistication of international cybercrime syndicates using Malaysia as a regional operational base for large-scale online fraud activities targeting victims across Asia. - May 15, 2026
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