Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the 35-year-old man was arrested in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur last night.

He said a man who lost his MyKad several years ago found that someone had used his identity to take out a loan to purchase a mobile device.

“He then came forward to report the loss of his MyKad and suspected that it had been cloned,” Saifuddin said. “Acting on this complaint, the national registration department carried out surveillance, and a suspect was arrested yesterday,” he told reporters here today.

Saifuddin said a body search on the man uncovered another MyKad, believed to be fake.

“Although we are focusing on this case, we won’t rule out further arrests. Whether this involves a syndicate, it is too early to say at this stage,” Saifuddin said.

It was reported recently that a man was shocked to find his MyKad had been used to purchase a top-end iPhone 16 at a shop in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, through a loan from a licensed loan company.

He discovered the identity theft when he attempted to check the reward points with the company through its app.