A 24-year-old Malaysian man accused of helping run a fraud syndicate in Cambodia and targeting victims in Singapore was arraigned in a court in the Island State yesterday (18 November).
Bernard Goh Yie Shen, 24, is among 34 suspects, comprising 27 Singaporeans and 7 Malaysians, who were named by Singapore police last month as members of an organised crime group operating out of a fraud syndicate’s operational area in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
A 24-year-old Malaysian man was charged in Singapore for helping run a scam syndicate in Cambodia
Local media reported that Bernard, who was handed over to Singapore police by Malaysian authorities a day earlier, was accused of overseeing the operation of a call centre that targeted and deceived victims in Singapore.
Bernard was detained in Phnom Penh by Cambodian police before being deported to Malaysia, reported The Straits Times.
He faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to SGD100,000 (~RM318,000), or both.
31 suspects are still at large
On Monday (17 November), 2 Singaporean suspects were also charged in court. The remaining 31 suspects are still at large, including a Singaporean, Ng Wei Liang, whom authorities believe to be the mastermind of the syndicate.
They are also responsible for at least 438 cases involving losses of at least SGD41 million (~RM130.6 million), the Singaporean Police Force (SPF) said on 29 October, as reported by Berita Mediacorp.
The syndicate’s “HQ” in Cambodia was recently raided during an operation in September, in a collaboration between the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the authorities in Cambodia. Bernard was then extradited to Malaysia, before he was handed over to the SPF.
