PUTRAJAYA: A British man, believed to be the mastermind of an international investment scam syndicate busted in Ops Tropicana, has been remanded for four days to assist investigations.
The remand order was issued by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court on Tuesday (March 7).
The suspect was remanded until Friday (March 10).
Sources said the suspect was the mastermind detained in Ops Tropicana on Feb 21.
"The suspect was the general manager for two ‘boiler rooms’ or calling centres for the syndicate, which were raided.
"During the raids, the Immigration Department detained the suspect. Upon further investigation and eyewitness statements, the MACC then detained the suspect on Monday (March 6)," the source said.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) also recorded the statements of three Australians, who were victims of the syndicate on Tuesday.
On Feb 21, the MACC with the cooperation of other agencies, including the Immigration Department, busted an investment syndicate masterminded by British citizens, following 24 raids and arrests of 81 suspects.
Among the agencies involved were the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Companies Commission of Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional Berhad and the Inland Revenue Board.
Codenamed Ops Tropicana, the raids were conducted simultaneously including at calling centres, companies and houses in the Klang Valley and Penang.
The syndicate has operated since 2019 and has amassed almost RM200mil after duping victims in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The modus operandi for the syndicate is to offer fake investment portfolios through advertisements on social media.
The syndicate members were from Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the Philippines.
It is believed the syndicate was part of an international scam ring that has duped victims across the globe resulting in about RM1bil in losses.
On Feb 28, MACC also raided an office which would've been used as a hub for scam syndicates in the country.
