By Zaki Salleh
IPOH: Various methods are used for scams, and recently, the police have uncovered a scheme offering fire extinguisher maintenance services.
The tactic was detected by the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Bagan Datuk District Police Headquarters on December 31, following a complaint from a trader in Hutan Melintang.
Perak’s Deputy Police Chief, Zulkafli Sariaat, said the complainant reported two men offering fire extinguisher maintenance services at RM100 per unit. An inspection by the Hutan Melintang Fire and Rescue Department revealed that the electronic stickers (eFEIS) on the extinguishers were fake, and they were not listed in the fire department’s records.
Further checks found that the company was not registered or authorized by the fire department to perform such services.
Raids were carried out on January 1, 4, and 5 in Bagan Datuk and Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, leading to the arrest of 10 suspects, including one local woman aged between 21 and 35, suspected of involvement in the scam.
Also seized were 89 fire extinguishers, four mobile phones, seven eFEIS stickers, three vehicles, and fake contractor certificates.
Zulkafli explained that the syndicate members worked as employees tasked with finding clients at business premises, operating by renewing and supplying fake eFEIS. The police believe this syndicate also operated in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, with six complaints received involving victims in Bagan Datuk and Kampar, totaling RM89,000 in losses.
