Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Shukri Dahlan (centre) and other officers with the seized money.
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SHAH ALAM: A case involving a bank officer who was cheated out of RM400,000 by a charming “Swedish man” on Facebook led Selangor police to making its biggest black money bust.
South Klang police, following the case, raided a condominium in Jalan Ipoh here at 3pm Wednesday where they found a black money ‘cleaning centre’ filled with chemicals, processing machines, safes, and fake British pound sterling and American dollars with a "face value" of RM30mil.
Officers also arrested a 54-year-old Iranian man, believed to be the mastermind of the syndicate.
The racket’s undoing began in March when the 51-year-old woman struck a friendship with a man on Facebook, who claimed to be a Swede.
The pair met at a Mutiara Damansara hotel where the suspect introduced her to black money, which scammers would claim is money that has been dyed black to avoid detection by customs.
He asked the victim to join in his business by supplying money for him to buy the chemicals he needs to wash the money.
He hooked her in by washing the notes in front of her to reveal three USD100 bills.
The woman took the notes to a currency exchanger who confirmed that the money was authentic.
“After that she was so convinced it was real. The man promised her that he could double her money and asked her to invest in his business.
"He said he would use her money to pay off Customs withholding the black money and to buy chemicals to to wash the notes. He promised to give her a portion of foreign money.
“She borrowed from loansharks, from her friends and family and banked in RM400,000 over a period of time. But after a while when she did not hear back from the man, she realised she had been cheated and lodged a report,” said Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Shukri Dahlan.
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