5 Nigerian students detained in Malaysia over N125.2 internet scam

Abuja— Five Nigerian students have been arrested
and detained in Malaysia over alleged involvement
in an internet fraud amounting to N125.2 million
(RM2.4 million) in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
The five students, aged between 20 and 30, and
pursuing Information Technology courses in a
leading private college in Kuala Lumpur, were
arrested on June 30, 2015, in different areas in
the country, including Petaling Jaya, Cyberjaya,
Damansara and Kuala Lumpur.
Following the arrest of the five students, police
also detained two local women, aged 40 and 55,
who are the owners of the accounts used by the
syndicate, said Penang Commercial Crimes chief
ACP Azmi Adam.
ACP Azmi said police also seized five laptops, 20
smart phones, ATM cards, SIM cards and
documents believed to have been used to con
their victims.
He said police launched “Operation Merpati” after
receiving a report from the owner of an ice block
producing factory in George Town who claimed he
had been cheated by the syndicate.
The 62-year-old victim said he received an e-mail
from the syndicate in March, informing him that
he was among 50 recipients selected to receive
RM15.9 million from the government of the United
States.
“The e-mail requested the victim to follow certain
procedures to ensure he did not miss the
opportunity.
‘’Convinced by the contents of the e-mail, the
victim carried out 51 transactions involving
money, to accounts numbers given by the
syndicate before realising it was a scam. He later
lodged a police report,” he said.
Azmi said initial investigations revealed that the
syndicate had conned several victims to the tune
of RM2.4 million.
Police have also found transactions involving up
to RM1 million that were banked in a
neighbouring country.