Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail said six suspects aged 18 to 33 were arrested in the operation held on Jan 15, but the alleged mastermind behind the ring, a 23-year-old Malaysian, has yet to be arrested.

At a press conference here, Khalid said the syndicate had been active since 2024, posing as women on social media to ensnare victims.

“Victims would be sent phishing links that would hack into their handphones while lewd video recordings they took of themselves would then be used to blackmail them,” he said.

The nation’s top cop said the syndicate was also found to have been involved in human trafficking by recruiting Malaysians to work for scam syndicates in Laos and Cambodia.

“Victims are forced to work up to 12 hours a day with their movements limited and their identification documents confiscated. They were also subjected to physical and even sexual abuse if they did not comply with orders.

“They were also told that they needed to pay RM30,000 if they wanted to stop working as scammers,” he added.

He said all six suspects nabbed had criminal records involving human trafficking, producing child pornography and gang robbery, among others.

He said they would be charged in the Johor Bahru sessions court on Thursday.

“Five others, including the head of the syndicate, are still being located.”

Separately, Khalid said the investigation into the fatal shooting of three men in Durian Tunggal, Melaka, had been completed, with police awaiting further orders from prosecutors after submitting their probe paper.

The three men were shot dead by Melaka police, who claimed they were serial robbers who had attacked an officer with a parang, and that the police had acted in self-defence.

Melaka police initially investigated the incident for attempted murder but it was reclassified as murder on the orders of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

The family claimed there was evidence to show the men were executed and not killed in a shootout.

A special investigation team was later formed under Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department to investigate the case.