KUALA LUMPUR: City police will be checking on security guards at condominiums in the federal capital to see if they may be in league with online scam syndicates.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid said this was being done after 20 raids on such syndicates over the past two months were carried out at luxury condominiums in the city.
"In the last two months, we arrested 343 people in 20 raids on online scam syndicates operating in luxury condominiums in and around the city.
"How do these condominium security guards allow foreigners in so easily when even for us, it's difficult to get in? That is why we will be checking on security guards in condominiums, to see if they may be working with these syndicates," he told reporters after the city police monthly gathering at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.
Allaudeen said the Kuala Lumpur Commercial Crime Investigation Department had conducted 1,311 raids on online scam syndicates from January till September this year.
"From those raids, we managed to arrest 855 people, 10 of whom have already been charged in court. The rest are still under investigation."
Allaudeen said the joint management bodies of condominiums need to be responsible in monitoring activities in their respective premises to ensure that units there are not used for illegal activities such as online scams.
"We don't want Kuala Lumpur to be known as a hub for online scams... (such activities) gives us a bad image," he said.
On another matter, Allaudeen said city police were carrying out continuous raids on entertainment centres who employ "guest relations officers" who offer patrons sexual services.
"I have ordered the district police chiefs in Kuala Lumpur to carry out Op Noda, our operation against entertainment centres who employ GROs, especially foreigners without work permits," he said.