A QUIET residential enclave in Puchong became the centre of a major anti-scam crackdown after Selangor police uncovered three distinct foreign-run criminal operations within the same neighbourhood over a two-day period.
Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the operations were carried out on May 19 and 20 following intelligence gathering by law enforcement authorities, resulting in the arrest of 29 foreign nationals believed to be linked to separate online fraud and money laundering activities.
The first operation, led by Sepang police on May 19, targeted a house in Bandar 16 Sierra, Puchong, where officers detained 11 foreign suspects aged between 18 and 63 years old for allegedly operating an online investment scam syndicate.
“The first was by the Sepang police, where on May 19, the police raided a house in Bandar 16 Sierra in Puchong. The raid led to the arrest of 11 foreign nationals on suspicion of involvement in an investment scam.
“Those arrested were aged 18 to 63 years old, and equipment, including eight laptops and eight handphones, was seized.
“Investigations showed that they had been active since March of this year and that they were offering these scam investment schemes to victims via Telegram and a website,” he said during a press conference at the Selangor police contingent headquarters on Thursday.
Authorities believe the syndicate used digital platforms to lure victims into fraudulent investment opportunities, exploiting encrypted messaging applications and online portals to conduct their operations remotely.
Later the same day, police launched a second raid in the same residential area, leading to the arrest of seven more foreign suspects aged between 27 and 36 who were allegedly operating another investment fraud network targeting victims in China.
“This group targeted Chinese victims via applications named ‘Douyin’ and ‘Dongfangcaifu’,” Shazeli said.
Police said the second syndicate appeared to operate independently from the first despite sharing the same neighbourhood as its base of operations.
A third operation conducted on May 20 resulted in the arrest of 11 additional foreign nationals suspected of involvement in laundering proceeds generated from online scam activities.
Investigators believe the group acted as financial intermediaries responsible for processing and managing illicit funds linked to cyber fraud operations targeting Chinese nationals.
“Investigations showed that they had been active since April of this year and that all were believed to have been account managers who obtained financial data from scam activities conducted against Chinese victims,” he said, adding that the data would also be tabulated by the group’s leader.
Despite the concentration of criminal activity within the same residential zone, police stressed that the three syndicates were not connected organisationally and operated as separate entities.
Shazeli said authorities were now working closely with the Immigration Department to determine the legal status and entry documentation of all those arrested.
“The police would like to urge the public to continue to provide information if they detect any individuals or groups suspected of operating scam call centres within their residential area or on business premises, so that swift police action can be taken,” he said. - May 21, 2026
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