POLICE BUST SUBSIDISED DIESEL CARD-CLONING SYNDICATE

PENANG, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- Police busted a syndicate which had been active in cloning the subsidised diesel card belonging to Syarikat Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd here, with the arrest of three men at a petrol station in Mergong, Kedah last Friday.

Penang Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief ACP Roslee Chik said the trio, aged between 30 and 40, were nabbed at 11.30pm while trying to clone the subsidised diesel card owned by the public transport company.

Rapid Penang in its police report stated that between July and October last year, it suffered losses amounting to RM900,000 due to the syndicate's card-cloning activity, he told reporters here today.

During the arrest, he said police also seized 32 cloned cards, a data detecting machine, a laptop computer and a card reader from the trio.

"We believe that the syndicate has accomplices at petrol stations statewide who provide them with the Rapid Penang-owned subsidised diesel card to be used for cloning," he said.

The suspects are being remanded until Thursday to facilitate the investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code, while police are also tracking down their accomplices.

-- BERNAMA

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