Three suspects aged in their 30s were arrested in Pekan on June 15 following a complaint filed by the District Health Office on June 10. The detainees—a mechanic, a workshop owner and a cleaner—are believed to have operated as intermediaries in a scheme to distribute forged medical leave certificates.
According to Pekan police chief Supt Mohd Zaidi Mat Zin, the operation generated substantial revenue, with forged certificates priced between RM50 and RM200. The certificates bore the name of a medical officer who confirmed he had been transferred to another location in 2023, and the stamp used on the documents was an outdated one no longer in use at the clinic.
Investigators obtained leads after someone reported having purchased a fake medical certificate from a local individual who allegedly procured it from a government clinic in exchange for payment. The District Health Office subsequently uncovered evidence of the illegal activity and referred the matter to police.
Authorities believe the scheme was structured in a coordinated manner, with the arrested trio responsible for identifying customers and managing transactions. The main suspect, suspected to be a female government health worker attached to a clinic, remains at large. She is believed to have supplied the counterfeit documents to the intermediaries.
The three detainees are scheduled to appear before the Pekan Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing. Police are investigating the case under Sections 468 and 420 of the Penal Code, which cover forgery and fraud respectively.
