KUALA LUMPUR: Johor police will check on the status of a property purchase cheating case related to a Malaysian businessman who was arrested by Thai authorities on Friday.
Johor police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said he could not comment at the moment on whether the businessman would be brought home for further investigation or not.
"We only have one investigation related to the suspect, so we will have to check on the status. We will also see what the Thai authorities will do next," said Kamarul Zaman when contacted by BH.
Earlier, Thai media reported that the authorities there had arrested Teow Wooi Huat, also known as Teddy Teow, for his alleged involvement in money-laundering activities from online gambling in southern Thailand.
Wooi Huat, 55, was reported to have been arrested at the office of his company MBI Group in Danok in the Sadao district on Friday morning.
Bernama reported that the man's visa had been cancelled and he was waiting to be deported by Thai authorities.
Sadao police commander Colonel Bunthaeng Laocharoen said Teow had been handed over to the Immigration police in Songkhla and transferred to the Suan Plu Immigration Office in Bangkok.
He, however, denied a report that Wooi Huat was arrested in connection with money-laundering activities related to online gambling in Danok.
He said Wooi Huat was on the Interpol Red Notice list and was called to be informed that his visa had been cancelled and he would not be charged in Thailand.
Wooi Huat has been dubbed "Jho Low 2" after the main suspect in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, Low Taek Jho, more infamously known as Jho Low.
On Jan 3, then Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said police were looking for three suspects of a Macau scam through the purchase of properties worth RM336 million in Penang.
He said Wooi Huat acted as the buyer who dealt with the developer while his sons Ee Meng, 30, and Chee Chow, 32, were the proxies as well as directors of Tuah Semenanjung Sdn Bhd and MBI Properties Sdn Bhd.
Initial investigations into reports in Pekan Nanas, Pontian and Nusa Bestari, Iskandar Puteri, led to the discovery of the syndicate and the arrest of 12 suspects aged between 29 and 68 in December.
Ayob Khan said the Johor Commercial Crime Investigation Department had formed a task force under Op Pelican 2.0 to investigate the scam.
The syndicate is believed to have used the money from the scam to purchase 100 luxury and commercial properties in Georgetown, Penang, worth RM336 million as well as for crypto currency trading.
Investigations showed that the syndicate had received RM25 million through 91 mule accounts since June last year.
Wooi Huat is said to have escaped to Danok while his two sons are believed to be still in Malaysia.
The businessman is also said to be wanted in connection with a US$83 million (RM336 million) money laundering case in Macau.