The “Macau Scam” main suspect who escaped after being released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been arrested earlier today (27th October).
Fugitive Goh Leong Yeong, or Alvin Goh was nabbed at a resort in Pahang at 1:20am along with a foreign woman which is believed to be his girlfriend.
It was reported that Goh has been moving from one location to another to avoid arrest. Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department director Datuk Huzir Mohamed said the arrest was made possible after police intelligence worked around the clock following the manhunt that started on 12th October.
Comm Huzir stated that Goh has been taken to the KL police headquarters for further action. “We will also be investigating further on his escape which some claimed to have been assisted by certain quarters,” he said when contacted by NST.
The 32-year-old suspect initially escaped from the MACC HQ after being released, fearing that he might be taken into police custody, on 11th October. It was reported that Goh managed to escape by climbing the building’s fence with his bodyguards’ help.
Last week, the police had confirmed Goh Leong Yeong and another suspect, Addy Kana, to be agents or coordinators for the money-laundering syndicate. The two individuals were hired to provide facilities such as call centres, equipped with computers and telecommunication equipment, to target China citizens with online gambling and other scams.
In related news, a 27-year-old doctor had recently fell victim to a “Macau Scam” call, losing a total of RM20,168.60. He reportedly received a call from an unknown number posing as a representative from the Inland Revenue Board and the police.
The doctor was then told that he was involved in drug smuggling and money laundering activities, and that a prosecutor would contact and assist him. On the same day, he received 12 TAC (Type Allocation Code) messages from a bank and was told to give it to the prosecutor.
The victim realised that he had been cheated after finding out that a large sum of his money was missing from his bank account, before proceeding to lodge a police report.
To avoid situations like these, we advice everyone to not answer calls from unknown numbers and avoid giving anyone your bank account details (especially TAC Codes).
Sources: New Straits Times, The Star.
