SERDANG – Three men who impersonated Health Ministry (MoH) officials to threaten owners of beauty salons have been arrested in a raid in Bandar Puteri, Puchong, Selangor last Thursday.
Serdang police chief A. Anbalagan said the three suspects, aged between 38 and 48, were detained at 12pm after two weeks of investigations and surveillance.
During the raid, police seized uniforms with MoH logos, equipment, and health products.
“Initial investigations revealed that the trio targeted unlicensed beauty saloons and those that used equipment that did not have MoH approval.
“They would threaten the owners that they will be fined RM200,000 or sent to prison for failing to display their licence,” he told reporters at the Serdang police headquarters, here today.
According to Anbalagan, tricked owners who feared action by the MoH would pay up to RM10,000 to avoid being punished.
“The syndicate is believed to have been active since September last year and investigations revealed that more than 20 premises have fallen victim to their actions in Serdang, Petaling Jaya, Selayang, Shah Alam, Bukit Jalil, Sentul, and Kuala Lumpur, involving losses amounting to RM42,000.”
He added that six police reports were received from beauty saloon owners who had been victimised. – Bernama, January 16, 2023
