Speaking at the Parliament's SOE Committee, Police have said that a legal recourse is required through which they can halt the circulation of money through bank accounts in scam cases without the need for a court order.
Speaking at the Parliament's SOE Committee, Police have said that a legal recourse is required through which they can halt the circulation of money through bank accounts in scam cases without the need for a court order.
Police's Anti-Scam Centre Head and Inspector of Police Mariyam Rasheedha said that there is no mechanism in the law which allows for holding the funds in subsequent accounts where the money is circulated after a scam case is reported.
She said that if money in a bank account is to be held, a court order is first required.
"But in scam cases now, we don't get the opportunity to apply and wait for court orders. It occurs very rapidly. So we need a way through the law in which we can hold these funds being rolled through such accounts," Rasheedha explained.
"This is something we need an immediate solution for within the law, we need to hold the money being circulated in accounts immediately without the need for a court order. Otherwise, we cannot do rapid response recovery work."
She stated that the Police had twice requested for meetings with the Attorney General to discuss this issue. Although the meetings were scheduled initially, they were both later postponed, she said.
Rasheedha further said that the law also needs to provide a path through which the Police can obtain necessary information from telecom providers without a court order. She explained that this information would cover basic subscription details, and would not include personal information of the individuals.
She highlighted that establishing a mechanism through which banks and telecom providers can disclose necessary information to Police in real time would significantly contribute towards deterring scam cases.
Police stated that the Anti-Scam Centre's work would officially commence in August. They said that efforts are currently ongoing to source the necessary facilities and resources for this centre.
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