Police activate one-stop centre for stranded haj pilgrims at KLIA

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said a total of 40 officers and personnel from the special team began their duties from 8 am today, for 11 days, and will end at 12 midnight on June 21.

"This team will provide facilities to stranded pilgrims, whether stranded at KLIA before departing for Saudi Arabia, or stranded pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and unable to perform hajj.

"These officers will receive reports from the pilgrims involved, identify what offences have occurred in accordance with the law, in addition to channeling all reports to the agencies involved, so that the investigation can be carried out," he said at a press conference at the CCID office, here, today.

Ramli said that police received cooperation from the Lembaga Tabung Haji and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

However, Ramli said so far, police have yet to receive any reports about pilgrims stranded at KLIA.

In another development, he said that the commercial crime statistics recorded a three per cent increase, to 14,051 cases, in the first six months of this year, compared with 13,695 cases reported for the same period last year.

He said the value of losses also showed an increase of 32 per cent, to RM959,041,692, compared with last year, which recorded a loss value of RM728,846,238.

"An average of 92 commercial crime cases are recorded daily. However, this increase in the number of cases can be dealt with appropriately by this department, through a better prosecution rate than in 2023.

"This can be seen through a total of 6,531 investigation papers which have been charged in courts up to the 22nd week of this year, and this number is higher than the 5,643 investigation papers reported for the same period in 2023," he said.

He said the upward trend in cases, and the value of losses, is a sign that more intensive efforts need to be implemented to combat commercial crime activities.

-- BERNAMA