Published: Friday September 20, 2013 MYT 2:38:00 PM
Updated: Friday September 20, 2013 MYT 3:46:59 PM
"Datuk Seri and wife" held over RM7.3mil investment scam
BY WINNIE YEOH
Some of the cash and valuables that were seized from the suspects. Starpix by MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI
GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested five individuals, including a couple who posed as a "Datuk Seri and wife" over a fake investment scam involving some RM7.3mil in losses.
Penang police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said two were local men, aged 34 and 49, a local woman, 42, while the others were two Indonesian women aged 24 and 42, both without valid permit.
Police also found a two-month-old baby boy, believed to be the child of one of the Indonesian, during a raid at an apartment unit in Kampung Gajah, Butterworth, at about 10.20pm on Wednesday.
Abdul Rahim said the "mastermind" is believed to be a couple, who posed as a "Datuk Seri" and "Datin Seri" allegedly conferred by the Sultan of Johor. They have been conning people into investing in property development.
All five have been remanded until Sept 24 while the baby would be handed over to the Welfare Department, he said.
"We have received three police reports from 13 victims and we believe there are more.
"We urged them to lodge police reports," Abdul Rahim told reporters.
Police are investigating the case under cheating, cheating by impersonation, illegal moneylending, anti-trafficking in persons and smuggling and harbouring of illegal immigrants.
