Featured image adapted from Singapore Police Force and Singapore Police Force.
A 28-year-old Malaysian man believed to be a member of a money laundering syndicate was handed over to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Tuesday (21 July).
The syndicate had previously been disrupted during a two-month international anti-scam operation earlier this year.
According to the SPF, Singapore authorities had issued a warrant of arrest for the suspect.
Malaysian police detained him at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 20 July before handing him over to the SPF the following day.
Source: Singapore Police Force
The man was charged in court on Wednesday (22 July) with abetment by conspiracy to assist another person in retaining benefits from criminal conduct.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years’ jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Scam syndicate members and recruiters may also face mandatory caning of between six and 24 strokes, while scam mules who help launder criminal proceeds may face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes for certain offences.
The syndicate was disrupted in March during Operation Frontier+ III, a two-month crackdown on transnational scams involving the SPF and nine foreign law enforcement agencies.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Information shared by MariBank helped authorities identify a Malaysia-based syndicate believed to be behind a series of scam-linked bank accounts.
Acting on intelligence provided by the SPF, the Johor Commercial Crime Investigation Department raided the syndicate’s premises on 17 March, arresting three Malaysians and seizing 83 mobile phones, 45 bank tokens, and a computer containing its operating software.
Across the 10 participating jurisdictions, Operation Frontier+ III led to the arrest of 3,018 people between 10 March and 7 May.
In Singapore, the SPF arrested more than 130 people and investigated over 1,000 others linked to more than 3,000 scam cases involving losses of over S$69.3 million.
The authorities also froze 2,315 bank accounts and seized S$34.9 million in illicit funds.
The SPF thanked the Royal Malaysia Police for its cooperation and assistance in facilitating the latest arrest.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Commander of Cyber Command, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Wong, also commended MariBank for its “proactive cooperation”, which helped Singaporean and Malaysian authorities dismantle the syndicate.
We will continue to work with the private sector and our international law enforcement partners to target scams and act against those who target Singapore.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Police Force and Singapore Police Force.