KOTA BHARU: A jewellery shop owner, in her 20s lost RM50,000 after an e-commerce fraud suspect used the illicit gains he made in Johor to buy jewellery at her shop here, on Jan 17.
Kelantan Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Supt Ahmad Azizul Mohamed said police received a report from the woman on Jan 18 lodged at Kota Bharu district police headquarters.
He said the woman received a telephone call from the man who wanted to purchase jewellery worth RM49,600 from the victim’s shop without seeing the items first-hand.
“The suspect had asked for the bank account and the victim gave the jewellery shop’s bank account details. The victim then checked and found RM49,600 had been deposited on the same day (Jan 17),” Ahmad Azizul said.
He said on Jan 18, the victim, while at her gold shop in Kota Bharu, was approached by a woman claiming to represent the suspect to pick up the jewellery that had been purchased comprising a chain, several bracelets and some 999.9 gold bars.
It was understood that the victim realised she had been duped after receiving a call from Johor police, urging her to cooperate in the investigation involving RM49,600 deposited by the suspect in Johor into the victim’s bank account in Kota Bharu.
The victim immediately lodged a police report denying her involvement in the cheating case in Johor and felt she had been conned, he said.
He said police would conduct an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term, whipping and a fine.
Ahmad Azizul said based on information, the suspect had previously committed fraud involving the sale of a vehicle in Johor which was advertised on social media.
He said the victim in Johor had lodged a police report on Jan 18 after suspecting he had been cheated when the suspect could no longer be contacted and the vehicle he had bought was not delivered. — Bernama
