Kuantan: Police arrested 16 individuals, including eight women, believed to be involved in an online scam syndicate during a raid on a premises near Jalan Tengku Muhammad here yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Acting Pahang police chief DCP Datuk Azry Akmar Ayob stated that the suspects, comprising 12 Philippine nationals, two locals, and two Taiwanese nationals aged between 24 and 51, were nabbed at about 11 pm. Intelligence revealed that the premises were used as a call centre for online scams by individuals posing as police officers.

'The syndicate is believed to have targeted victims in the United States, tricking them into transferring money through various planned ruses and modus operandi. Preliminary investigations found that the two Taiwanese men were the masterminds, while the two local men acted as runners and drivers. The Philippine nationals served as customer service agents communicating directly with the victims,' he told reporters here today.

Azry Akmar added that police confiscated an array of equipment used in the scam, such as 15 laptops and 21 mobile phones. He noted that none of the suspects had prior criminal records and all have been remanded for four days until July 24 to assist in investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.