On October 30th local time, Malaysian police confirmed that 130 people holding Malaysian passports were arrested by local law enforcement authorities in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on suspicion of being involved in online fraud crimes.
According to Malaysian media reports on the 31st, the Chief Police Officer of Malaysia, Mohd Kamil, stated that relevant police departments in the country have been notified about this incident and are taking follow-up actions. At this stage, complete information on all individuals involved has not yet been obtained. However, it has been confirmed that the arrested individuals all hold Malaysian passports and belong to different ethnic groups. Some of their visas have already expired.
He also stated that the Malaysian police is currently working together with the country's foreign affairs department to coordinate with the Pakistani authorities in collecting information related to these cases. There is no exclusion of sending investigators to the local area to follow up on the case progress.
According to reports, this arrest operation was carried out by the Pakistani cybercrime investigation department. Law enforcement officers raided a network fraud hub. The group mainly targeted Malaysian citizens, using methods such as impersonating bank customer service staff or police officers, and fabricating false information about victims being suspected of money laundering to carry out intimidation and fraud. The stolen funds were first transferred through electronic wallets, and then exchanged for cryptocurrencies for transfer.
Currently, all suspects involved in the case are being investigated under Pakistani laws related to anti-electric crime, as well as provisions related to fraud, extortion, and impersonation in the criminal code.
