Police Searching 15 Malaysian Citizens Stealing Money from BCA ATMs

Jakarta (Antara) - The Indonesian police are on the lookout for 15 Malaysian nationals believed to be involved in stealing money from BCA automatic teller machines in the country. Director of special economic crimes of the National Police's Department of Crime Investigation Brigadier General Arief Sulistyanto stated at a press conference here on Monday that the number of people involved in the theft were actually 21, but six of them have already been arrested. "Initially, we received 17 names (of those allegedly involved in the crime), and later, we found five of them were still in Indonesia, while the rest had left Indonesia. Later, we found that the number (involved) is actually 21. The identities of five of them are not yet known," he claimed. Arief pointed out that the Indonesian police are working in coordination with the Malaysian police (PDRM) to deal with the case. "The PDRM will coordinate with regard to the case. We have also sent data to the immigration office about those offenders who have not yet been arrested," he added. Director of Immigration Investigation and Law Enforcement Mirza Iskandar noted that the immigration office will prevent them from leaving the country. Mirza reported that the police believe that the suspects are already aware that their activities have been detected. The Indonesian Directorate of Crime Investigation (Bareskrim) has so far arrested six offenders: Khor Chee Sean (26), Saw Hing Woo (27), Teh Chen Peng (24), Lee Chee Kheng (31), Ong Lung Win (24), and Ooi Choo Aun (42). They were arrested by Bareskrim and the immigration officers at the Batam port, while they were about to leave for Singapore and Johor Baru. They have operated at the Pantai Indah Kapuk Hospital (Feb. 8), Pondok Indah Hospital (Feb. 13), Husada Hospital (Feb. 14), and Boromeus Hospital (Feb. 15). They were captured in the CCTV footage recorded on February 8-14, which revealed how they had used a skimmer and a camera to record the magnetic data strip on ATM cards and the PIN numbers of the card holders. On February 21-22, the offenders then withdrew the money using the ATM cards and collected the cash money, which they later exchanged for various foreign currencies. The police have confiscated 11 cell phones, 14 SIM cards, an iPad, a laptop, 24 ATM cards, and six passports. (*)