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The Star

A Malaysian businessman escaped from the clutches of a job scam syndicate in Cambodia after his wife lodged a police report and a 6,000 ringgit (US$1,456) ransom was paid, but some 700 others are still trapped there.
Many are facing torture in captivity, said Muhammad Syafiq Pubalan Abdullah, 40.
The victims aged between 17 and 35 were often beaten up, he said.
He, too, was beaten up daily during his first week there.
“They would beat the women with a belt. I heard a female victim was raped by 11 people after her mother filed a police report.
“I was also forced to eat pork a few times, and if we didn’t, they would beat us up.
“I was given the handphone for a short period of time and I used that to call my wife. Even then, my call would be monitored,” he said, adding that he stayed at a hostel with eight Malaysian roommates.

Muhammad Syafiq said a friend, whom he had known for 12 years, had urged him to open a Malaysian restaurant in Cambodia because there were none there.
Believing the “friend”, he travelled from Alor Setar to Bangkok, where a driver picked him up and took him to Cambodia, he told a press conference organised by the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) in Kuala Lumpur.
“They avoided the usual route, so I wouldn’t know how to return. Thai police were involved. In Phnom Penh, I saw a small town and a casino. Soldiers guarded my workplace.
“They told us to scam people through phone calls,” he said, adding that he saw around 700 Malaysians there.
“We pretended to be officers from a cybersecurity agency from Singapore and asked people about a fake job advertisement in Malaysia.
“In order to file a denial report, we would ask for their IC numbers.
“With that, we could trace almost everything. Under my watch, one Singaporean was scammed out of S$67,000 (US$51,742).”
Muhammad Syafiq’s escape came after his wife, Jamilah Ahmad, 42, sensed something wrong during one of his calls.


Jamilah then posted a video about her husband’s ordeal and revealed the “friend” too.
“I managed to call the ‘friend’ and asked him to bring my husband back. They first asked for 6,000 ringgit, which I couldn’t pay.
“I told the agent I had filed a second police report and named him. Two days later, they allowed my husband to return,” said the mother of two, who believes the “friend” paid the ransom.
PPIM has urged the authorities to arrest the agent and secure the release of the 700 Malaysians.
“With scam cases on the rise, we need a specialised department to deal with them,” PPIM chief and activist Nadzim Johan said.
This story was first published by The Star


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News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Muhammad Syafiq said hundreds of Malaysians are still trapped in the Phnom Penh site, where he was beaten up daily


Muhammad Syafiq said hundreds of Malaysians are still trapped in the Phnom Penh site, where he was beaten up daily.


Cambodia

Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Crime