PUTRAJAYA, 20 April 2020:
Stern action will be taken by the police against anyone who tries to take advantage of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to cheat other people by engaging in face mask scams.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the modus operandi of the scammers is through social media or face-to-face interaction.
He said the scams had so far resulted in losses amounting to RM4.2 million and buyers are advised to be more vigilant of such scammers when making their purchase.
“Before making any payment, buyers can also check the bank account of the seller at the police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s ‘Semakmule’ portal,” he said at the daily press conference on MCO here today.
He said buyers can also check seller’s status at www.biztrust.ssm.com.my.
On public sanitisation exercise, Ismail Sabri, who is also Defence Minister, said the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) had received many applications from private companies wanting to organise public sanisation programme as part of their social corporate responsibility activities.
“The government welcomes such an initiative, but they have to comply with the regulations and advice from the Ministry of Health and ensure that the programmes are supervised by the Fire and Rescue Department officials.”
Since March 30, a total of 2,790 public sanitisation operations had been organised by the KPKT in 105 zones, including 40 COVID-19 red zones across the country.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said foreign nationals with valid travel documents or visit permits arrested for flouting the MCO will face similar action as any Malaysian, that is to be remanded and charged in court.
“Those arrested without valid travel documents will be sent straight to Immigration detention depots for further action.” As of yesterday, a total of 15,924 individuals have been arrested for flouting the MCO.
The Sepang magistrate’s court today fined 41 Myanmar citizens – who defied the MCO by participating in a water festival on April 12 in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi – RM1,000 each.
Magistrate A. Akhiruddin @ Boy Acho handed down the sentence to all of them after they pleaded guilty to the charges which were read out by a Burmese interpreter.
He also ordered the accused, aged between 19 and 34 years, to serve a month each in jail if they failed to pay the fine.
In mitigation, counsel G. Rajasingam – who represented all the accused – appealed that the sentence to be a fine on the grounds the foreign workers had valid permits and came from poor families.
The magistrate’s court in Sungai Petani today sentenced 23 men to seven days’ jail and a maximum fine of RM1,000 for violating the MCO in the Kuala Muda district between March 27 and April 13.
Magistrate Arif Mohamad Shariff meted out the sentences against all the accused, aged between 18 and 41, after they pleaded guilty to their respective charges – which included hanging out with friends and heading out of their houses for no valid reason.
The court ordered all of them to begin serving the jail term from today, while those who failed to pay the fine would serve another month in prison.
At the same court, a director of a recycling company was sentenced to seven days’ jail and fined RM10,000 in default six months’ prison for allowing two employees to work without permission during the MCO. Arif ordered Ong Lin-Tjong, 39, to serve his jail sentence beginning today.
A food deliveryman was fined RM5,000 by the Selayang magistrate’s court today for posting fake news on his Whatsapp application alleging that a worker at a department store had tested positive for Covid-19.
Magistrate Nik Mohd Fadli Nik Azlan sentenced Azwan Mohd Salleh, 23, after the accused pleaded guilty to the charge read out to him.
The court also ordered the man to serve a 12-month jail sentence if he failed to pay the fine.
The accused was charged with uploading the news with the intent to cause fear and panic among the public under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code which provides for a maximum jail term of two years or a fine or both.
He committed the offence at Desa Jaya, Gombak here at 7pm yesterday.
– Bernama