Wife of crew member shocked over missing money
Tragic circumstances: Chew and her husband Tan Size Hiang, a crew member of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
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PETALING JAYA: The wife of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 crew member Tan Size Hiang is reeling in shock that money has been siphoned from her husband’s bank account.
Elaine Chew, 35, said she could not believe that someone would have the audacity to prey on Tan and three other victims of the flight that went missing with 239 passengers on March 8.
“No one at the bank or the police told me about the theft. I found out from the newspapers,” she said.
“I then went to the bank to ask but they would not release any information to me because they said it was private and confidential. I don’t even know how much was taken.”
That was the second time she was turned away.
Chew said she contacted the bank after the MH370 tragedy to settle her husband’s credit card bills but was denied access to his account.
“I don’t know what to say. I can’t get into my husband’s account but someone else could access it and take the money from him. I’m surprised.
“I want to thank Malaysia Airlines, which has been very concerned about me regarding this issue, especially the human resources department and my caregivers,” Chew said.
Money from Tan’s bank account was among four that had been siphoned, with the total loss amounting to RM110,643.
The other accounts belonged to Malaysian Hui Pui Heng, 66, and Chinese nationals Ju Kun, 32, and Tian Jun Wei, 29.
Federal Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Mortadza Nazarene said Bukit Aman was hunting for two more suspects, including a Pakistani man, over the siphoning.
A HSBC Bank Malaysia officer and her husband, both 33, have already been arrested.
The Pakistani is one Ali Farran, in his 30s, while the other suspect is a Malaysian, known only as Raj and believed to be the mastermind.
HSBC communications head Marlene Kaur said the bank discovered the siphoning and lodged a police report.
“HSBC is deeply sorry for the incident and apologises to the families of our customers for the distress this will cause, and assures them there will be no losses on these accounts,” she said.
HSBC Bank Malaysia: ‘Safety and security of customer info taken very seriously’
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PETALING JAYA: HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd maintains it always takes the safety and security of customer information very seriously.
The bank said this in response to reports of unauthorised withdrawals from the bank accounts, all with HSBC, of four passengers on the missing MH370.
“This matter, which was referred by the bank to the police, is the subject of a police investigation. It is therefore inappropriate for us to make further comment,” said the bank’s head of communications Marlene Kaur in a statement to The Star yesterday.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the police had identified several suspects, who they believed had inside help.
“We have obtained the identity of the suspect(s) and we are tracking them down,” Khalid told reporters when met after the Home Ministry’s monthly gathering here yesterday.
Withdrawals of up to RM111,000 have been detected from the bank accounts through a number of ATM transactions.
A bank manager not related to the case said the usual process was to freeze the accounts of those who were missing or dead.
However, he said liability would depend on whether the bank accounts were personal or joint.
“These accounts may not have been frozen as the victims could be sharing the accounts with others,” he said.
On another matter, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia was ready to send another team of investigators to the MH17 crash site soon.
This follows the Ukraine Parliament’s ratification of a bilateral agreement between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday, which allows Malaysia to send up to 90 non-military personnel to join the Dutch-led team to facilitate the recovery of remains.
“The IGP and the Attorney-General will also be going to Amsterdam,” Dr Ahmad Zahid said.
In Kuantan, Pahang police Commercial Crimes Investigation Department chief Supt Azizan Md Isa reminded users of ATM cards to be vigilant for suspicious devices attached to the machines as these might be used by criminals to clone bank cards.
He added that the police had received four reports of such devices in Genting Highlands this year, with two banks reporting such incidents in February, May, June and this month.
