200 conned homebuyers lodge police report against developer
NST 10/11/2002 By Sharanjit Singh

MALACCA, Nov 10:  Some 200 people who were allegedly conned into buying houses at a new industrial area here have lodged police reports, alleging that the company was not licensed. The housebuyers claimed they had paid a total RM4 million to the company after signing sales and purchase agreements to buy houses at the Malaysia China Light Industrial City at Bertam, near here, in 1997.

The money was supposedly to be progress payments to Bukit Rambai Park Sdn Bhd, which was the developer of the project.

Chairman of the house purchasers' action committee Yang Chow Liang, 34, said the houses cost between RM73,000 to RM79,000.

In 1999, the project was placed under receivership, and a new developer appointed.

"We were also told that the sales and purchase agreement which we had signed with the previous developer was null and void as the company was not even licenced," he said.

Yang, who lodged the police report on behalf of the other housebuyers, was speaking at the Melaka Tengah police headquarters here. Present was Kota Melaka MP Kerk Kim Hock.