Johor Police Bust Syndicate That Signed A Victim Up For Life Insurance Before Killing Him
The syndicate was uncovered during the investigation of a man who purportedly died in a road accident.
By May Vin Ang — 26 Jun 2024, 12:22 PM
The police have busted a criminal syndicate in Johor that signed an unwary victim up for life insurance, then staged his murder as a motor vehicle accident to claim compensation
According to Bernama, Johor police chief Commissioner M Kumar said the syndicate was uncovered during an investigation of a 38-year-old man in Kulai who purportedly died in a road accident.
The alleged accident had occurred at 4.40am on 6 May, when the victim riding a motorcycle was knocked down by two cars and a motorcycle on Jalan Senai-Seelong.
Kumar said four individuals then beat the victim before he was finally killed by another truck driving down the same road.
"After the victim died, a suspect applied for an insurance claim through an [insurance] agent, who is also a member of the syndicate," said the police chief.
Kumar explained that the syndicate had identified a random individual without any next of kin, signed him up for a life insurance policy with a RM500,000 payout without his knowledge, and named someone else as the beneficiary
"The insurance agent forged the victim's signature during the policy application process and waited until the policy was approved.
"Once the policy was approved and insurance premiums were paid for several months, the suspects planned the murder, staging it as a fatal accident," Kumar said in a statement on Monday, 24 June, as quoted by The Star.
He added that the insurance claim for the 'accident' was, fortunately, not processed in time as the syndicate's modus operandi was uncovered by the Johor police criminal investigation department.
The police have since arrested eight men, aged 23 to 49, to assist in investigations
Kumar added that the police are still hunting for other syndicate members at large.
The case is now being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, with four of the men been charged in the Kulai Magistrate's Court on 19 June, while the other four are out on bail.
