Malaysian police are trying to solve the mystery over who has been withdrawing money from the bank accounts of passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The shadow of a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion maritime-search aircraft can be seen on low-level clouds as it flies over the southern Indian Ocean looking for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in this March 31, 2014 file photo. (Reuters photo)
More than 111,000 ringgit (1.1 million baht) was taken from the accounts of four passengers aboard the ill-fated Beijing-bound 747 that disappeared March 8. Families of those passengers angrily protested over the withdrawals, which all occurred at one bank in a series of ATM transactions, Malaysia's Star newspaper reported.
Kuala Lumpur's City Commercial Crime Investigation Department said the said the unnamed bank detected the transactions July 18 and, following an internal investigation, filed a police complaint Aug 2.
Police chief assistant commissioner Izany Abdul Ghany told the paper authorities are investigating the case "as unauthorised access with intent to commit an offence." The crime carries a fine of 1.5 million baht and up to 10 years in jail.
It has been more than five months since MH370 disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur. The plane is thought to have crashed somewhere in the south Indian Ocean. At one time, a multinational team, including the United States, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, was looking for the plane and its 227 passengers and 12 crew members.