Penang police chief Azizee Ismail said 14 Japanese citizens were arrested, comprising 13 men and one woman, as well as four Chinese nationals. The suspects were aged 25 to 51.

He said all of them admitted to working as the call centre’s operators for the past three months, earning between RM5,000 and RM8,000 each month as they scammed victims residing in Japan.

“Preliminary investigations found that the syndicate used the Telegram app to obtain the information of victims and dupe them by posing as Japanese policemen.

“They then used the Go (Japan) app for financial transactions,” Azizee said in a statement.

Following the raids, the cops seized 49 handphones, 25 sets of scripts in the Japanese language used to dupe victims, 13 iPads, four walkie-talkies, and three laptops.

Azizee said the 18 suspects had been remanded for further investigations, which are being conducted under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.