Police have uncovered an alleged human exploitation case and dismantled four call centres believed to be involved in fake investment scams during separate raids in Seberang Perai Tengah and Timur Laut on Thursday.
The operations resulted in the arrest of 109 foreigners of various nationalities.
Penang police chief Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said the first raid was conducted at a premises along Jalan Utara Berapit at about 7pm following a police report by a representative from the Cameroon community in Malaysia.
The report involved a 25-year-old Cameroonian woman who was allegedly confined and exploited by a syndicate in the Seberang Perai Tengah district.
He said police rescued the victim and detained 29 foreigners, including nine women, after they failed to provide valid travel documents or identification papers during inspections.
A Taiwanese man believed to be the employer and operator of the activity was also arrested.
“Initial investigations found that the Cameroonian woman was allegedly brought from Cambodia to Malaysia through an illegal route after working with the syndicate for almost a year.
“She was deceived with a job offer, was not paid her salary and had her movements controlled. She was only allowed to use her mobile phone once a day before managing to contact her family in Cameroon for help. Her passport was also held by the syndicate,” he said.
In a separate operation, police uncovered four premises believed to have been used as call centres for fake investment scams.
Kwang Keng said the raids led to the arrest of 80 individuals, comprising one local man and 79 foreigners from China, Vietnam and Cambodia.
He said the foreign workers were allegedly recruited through online platforms or agents before being brought to the premises.
“They were offered jobs as customer service officers with salaries ranging between RM3,200 and RM5,000 per month, but their actual role was to contact and persuade victims to participate in fake investment schemes,” he said.
Investigations found that the premises had been operating for more than a month and were also used as accommodation for syndicate members.
Police seized several mobile phones and other items believed to be linked to the scam activities during the four raids.
All suspects have been brought to court to obtain remand orders to assist investigations.
