A 27-YEAR-OLD Malaysian man alleged to be the mastermind of a scam and money laundering syndicate operating in Singapore has been arrested in Malaysia and handed over to Singapore police, authorities said.
The man, known as “Da Xiang”, was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police on Sept 22 and transferred to Singapore police the same day.
Singapore police said he was allegedly responsible for recruiting and coordinating Malaysians to carry out government official impersonation scams in Singapore.
According to The Straits Times, preliminary investigations found that Da Xiang had met at least four Malaysian runners on multiple occasions in Malaysia, assigning them tasks, coordinating ATM withdrawals and distributing their earnings, police said.
The runners also allegedly brought gold items collected from scam victims back to Johor Bahru and handed them to him.
Police said he was believed to be responsible for laundering at least S$500,000 in scam and other illicit proceeds.
Da Xiang is expected to be charged in court on Sept 23 with criminal conspiracy to assist another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Police said they continued to see an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash and valuables from victims.
They warned that offenders would be dealt with according to the law and thanked the Royal Malaysia Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department for its assistance in the arrest.
“Scam syndicates know no borders. It is only through close and sustained cooperation with our international partners that we can effectively dismantle these criminal networks,” said Senior Assistant Commissioner Justin Wong, who leads the cyber command.
“We will continue to work closely with the Royal Malaysia Police and other international law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who target Singapore, regardless of where they choose to hide.”
Police also advised the public to remain vigilant and avoid trusting unsolicited calls, messages or emails.
They said Singapore Government officials would never ask members of the public to transfer money, cash, jewellery or other valuables to unknown people over the phone.
Legitimate officials would also not request bank login details, instruct people to install mobile applications from unofficial app stores or transfer calls to the police. - September 23, 2026
