KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Huzir Mohamed confirms the arrest of two Malaysians implicated in a global hacking syndicate.
"The suspects, a businessman in his 40s and a computer analyst in his 30s were arrested in Perak on Monday after the United States enforcement authority sent a red notice for their arrest.
"The duo were indicted by the Department of Justice (DoJ) for money laundering and computer intrusion charges in the US," he said in a statement.
Huzir said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) received the US authorities' extradition request on Sept 3 for the two men, before the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court granted a Provisional Warrant of Arrest for their temporary arrest.
He said both suspects had been placed under a 60-day remand at the Sungai Buloh Prison.
"This is in accordance with Section 16(1) of the Extradition Act 1992 and Article 11(4) of the extradition treaty between the US and Malaysian governments and the AGC's approval," he said.
Huzir said both suspects were indicted for allegedly hacking into major gaming companies to steal and illegally resell their "gaming artefacts" such as tradable in-game chits and credits.
He said the arrests were made possible through a joint operation carried out by the Federal National Central Bureau/Interpol (D12), Organised Crime Investigation Division (D14), Criminal Investigation Department, Special Branch, Forensics and Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
"In the 8.45am operation, the forensic unit also seized documents and computer items as evidence from the suspects' company."
On Sept 16, the two Malaysians were among seven international defendants charged by the DoJ for conducting computer intrusion campaigns on video game companies, telecommunication providers, social media companies and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
The other five indicted are Chinese nationals and are still at large.