THE 238 people who disobeyed the movement control order (MCO) to live in the jungle of Kuala Kubu Baru in Selangor were facing money troubles and had sought the assistance of a so-called Islamic financial body.

They were low- and middle-income families from across the country, who had been attracted to Dewan Perkasa Ekonomi Islam Nusantara’s (DPEIN) claim of being able to help them quickly settle their debts.

They were planning to start up farms in the jungle when they were arrested.

DPEIN, which was set up in 2017, calls itself an independent Islamic financial body in which membership costs RM100 a year. Members get to attend seminars and entrepreneurship training. 

Its members are those who are bankrupt, blacklisted or in debt with loan sharks. Single parents, orphans as well as the disabled are also members of this organisation.

Checks revealed DPEIN is headquartered in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, and it has branches in several states.

Police sources told The Malaysian Insight DPEIN was on Facebook trying to recruit people with financial problems.

The account was last active in 2018 and several of its branches last posted updates in January 2019.

Sources said the group aimed to recruit 16 million Malay Muslim members with the promises that it would help to pay off their debts with a grant that did not require repayment, and that it would generate income for every member with a systematic distribution of mutual benefits.

“They claimed that they can help settle their debts and claimed that their financial institution does not practise interest (riba) which is forbidden in Islam,” said a source.

“Regular members pay RM100 yearly, consultants a one-off payment of RM550 and to be a manager in DPEIN, one has to pay RM1,750.”

They said the group who were arrested in Kampung Ulu Rening in Batang Kali, Kuala Kubu Baru recently were cultivating a piece of land owned by a member. They were also attending a seminar cum entrepreneurship training programme.

Police on Tuesday arrested 238 people in a raid on the settlement. Women and children, including babies, were among the arrests. The group were living in tents in a newly cleared forest area.

Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat  said the 76 men, 77 women and 85 children were from Pahang, Kuala Lumpur and Perak.

“They planned to develop the land and turn it into an agricultural site. The land belongs to a member of the group. There is already a settlement there with bathrooms and toilets,” Fadzil said.

“They were at the site as early as February this year. They wanted to grow crops which would be the source of their income.

He said police moved in after receiving complaints that there was a large gathering of people in the area. 

The group were detained under Rule 6(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Rules 2020.

On Wednesday, 154 DPEIN members pleaded guilty at the Kuala Kubu Baru Sessions Court to breaching the movement control order (MCO). They were each fined RM600.

They told the judge they were already at the site when the MCO went into effect on March 18 and had no way of returning to their homes.

The MCO was enforced to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus which as so far infected 6,071 and killed 103.

DPEIN is not illegal

A DPEIN member who wished to be known as Syam told The Malaysian Insight the group was not involved in illegal activities.

The 40-year-old man said DPEIN was created to help people.

“This is not a get rich quick scheme. We don’t do that. Our objective is to help people settle their loans, to live in a debt-free society, through shariah compliant methods, to live in a debt free society,” Syam said.

“We attend seminars and training to learn how to live within your means and how to earn money the right way. There is nothing illegal in what we do.”

Syam was not among those arrested on Tuesday.

“I was not in Kuala Kubu Baru as I was not able to move around due to the MCO, but I know the place.

“We didn’t just go there and stole somebody’s land to build an illegal settlement.

“It just happened that they all were in a group during the MCO,” he said.

Another member, Ahmad Hafiz, who was also not detained, said it was true that many of the members were debt-ridden.

“That was why I became a member – so that I could learn how to free myself from debt,” Ahmad said.

“I joined DPEIN early last year and I have gone to their seminars on how to get income. Many who joined before me are now debt-free. Hopefully I can join them soon,” said the 38-year-old bachelor.

DPEIN chairman Mohammad Nurudin Amiron had stated that the people of Kampung Ulu Rening had mistaken the members for illegal settlers.

“We are not illegal settlers. Maybe the residents here thought we came illegally but actually we bought this land. All 2.5ha of it belongs to us,” he told reporters at the raid. – May 2, 2020.