M`SIAN BANK OFFICERS INVESTIGATE CHENNAI CREDIT CARD SCAM

By P. Vijian

CHENNAI, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Officials from a leading bank in Malaysia have
met top sleuths from the city's central crime branch to cull information on fake
credit cards, sourced from the bank by a syndicate masterminded by a Sri Lankan.

The three officials from the risk management division of the bank based in
Kuala Lumpur, arrived here last week.

Bernama learnt that among others, they viewed devices used by the syndicate
to produce the fake cards in Chennai.

Indian police were not available for comment.

The arrival of the bank officals follows last month's arrest of the
25-year-old Sri Lankan, now a Canadian national, who had masterminded the credit
card forgery in the southern city.

The suspect had deployed three Malaysian teenage girls to make large
purchses with the fake credit cards whose information was sourced from the
Malaysian bank.

At the time the cards were used to fleece stores which sold jewellery,
mobile phones and electronic items, the girls were studying cosmetology at
colleges in Chennai.

The teenagers, who have since returned to Malaysia after completing their
course, are expected to be quizzed by Interpol on their alleged links to the
syndicate.

City police have also mounted a major operation and nailed several Indian
nationals and a Singaporean who allegedly worked for the syndicate.

Initial police investigations revealed that the group, using the counterfeit
cards, had bought nearly RM500,000 (US$142,857) in expensive items over the past
few months.
-- BERNAMA