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PETALING JAYA, Aug 16 — A Pakistani, identified as a key player of the gang that wiped out more than RM110,000 from the bank accounts of four MH370 victims, possibly led an extravagant life as he did not bother to chase for his salary when his employer could not pay him last year.
This has led police to believe that Ali Farran, who is on the run, and his two known accomplices, had been involved in similar thefts.
Ali, who is in 30s, worked as a mechanic in Kampung Pandan, Ampang, and police have established that it was his account that was used to hold RM35,000 from the total amount that was stolen.
His former colleagues and employers said he had no problems when they did not pay him for several months.
“He worked for us for a year but when we were unable to pay his salary for months, he continued working and told us money was not an issue for him,” said one of the mechanics who declined to be identified.
Police believe that the three are part of a gang that siphoned more than RM110,000 from the accounts of Malaysians Hue Pui Heng, 66, Tan Size Heng, 46, and China nationals Ju Kun, 32, and Tian Jun Wei, 29.
A bank officer and her husband have been identified as the ones who engineered the theft.
The manhunt led police to the rundown at Muda Motor Sdn Bhd workshop in Ampang where Ali used to work and has his work permit registered.
The employee, when met by Malay Mail, said they were shocked when police turned up at their workshop two days ago looking for Ali.
“We had no idea he was involved in such a heinous crime. We told police that he has been missing for over six months. They left after interviewing the staff here,” he said.
The workshop in Ampang where Ali once worked. One of his colleagues says Ali didn't mind not getting his salary for months. — file picNeighbours at Ali’s last known address, No 2B, Lorong Kemajuan, Kampung Pandan, said he lived there with his wife and child for eight months and moved out in June.
“They didn’t really mingle with the neighbours and kept to themselves. He usually came back late at night. I only spoke to him once and he said he had been in Malaysia for five years,” said a neighbour, Hamdan Harun, 53.
City commercial criminal investigation department chief ACP Izany Abdul Ghany said they were confident of making an arrest soon as they believe Ali is still in Malaysia.
“We have recorded the statements of six people including the bank manager. Investigations are still under way to find out the relationship between the detained bank officer and the Pakistani,” he said.
Hamdan says Ali moved out from his home in Kampung Pandan in June.The 33-year-old bank officer, who was arrested on Thursday, had been working in the bank for 10 years. She was picked up by the police from her house in Sarjana Ampang.
Her mechanic husband, also 33, was arrested at a workshop in Pandan Indah.
It was revealed that the suspects siphoned the money by first making online transfers from the accounts of Tan and the two China nationals into Hue’s account.
One of the accomplices then falsely applied for a replacement ATM card for Hue and went on a withdrawal spree.
Because of the RM5,000 withdrawal limit a day, it is believed the suspects took more than two weeks to make withdrawals of up to about RM75,000 from the ATMs.
The bank only found something was amiss when its manager conducted a monthly audit and found large sums missing from the victims’ frozen accounts.
It conducted internal investigations on July 18 before reporting the incident to the police on August 2.
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