KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — A company manager has fallen victim to a scam, losing RM2.6 million in a fraudulent transaction involving the import of frozen Musang King durians.

According to national daily Berita Harian, Johor Police Chief Datuk M Kumar reported that the victim, a Chinese national, filed a complaint claiming that a suspect had misled him into believing he could use an ‘Approved Permit’ (AP) from a fruit export company registered in Malaysia.

The suspect, also a Chinese national, asserted that the AP was essential for importing frozen Musang King durians from Malaysia into China.

The victim subsequently met the suspect in China and agreed to purchase 3,840 cartons of the frozen durians, totalling RM2.6 million.

On July 5, the victim transferred the funds to a bank account belonging to another registered company in Malaysia, as instructed by the suspect.

Kumar explained that the victim was promised delivery of the durians within a month after payment.

However, to date, the promised products have not been received.

"Attempts to contact the suspect proved futile, prompting the victim to enlist the help of a friend in Malaysia to investigate the AP’s ownership,” Kumar noted.

It was discovered that the AP-holding company had never engaged in any business dealings with the victim’s company.

In light of this, the victim travelled to Malaysia to lodge a police report, given that the account used by the suspect belonged to a registered Malaysian company.

The case is now under investigation, with authorities looking into violations of Sections 420 and 411 of the Penal Code.