Penang police chief Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the 10 men and four women, aged 23 to 60, were arrested in a special operation from Sept 16 to Sept 19 at different locations around Johor, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang. He said they were involved in the syndicate’s blackmailing activities and gave it access to their bank accounts.

“The syndicate would use their bank accounts to deposit money from illicit activities, before transferring these funds to the syndicate. This is slightly different from mule accounts where the owners handed their ATM cards to scammers,” he said at a press conference.

He said police also seized 13 mobile phones, eight ATM cards and a bank book during their arrests. With their arrests, police believe they have solved 12 cases in Penang and 27 in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Pahang, and Sarawak.

He added that 76 police reports were lodged in Penang involving RM306,101 in losses, with the highest individual amount being RM69,000.