ALOR SETAR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - About 200 guests, including several VIPs and retired civil servants from various Malaysian states, attended a four-hour investiture ceremony at a hotel which saw 95 people being awarded various medals and titles.

But it was all fake.

Soon after the ceremony, police raided the place and detained a "Datuk" over his role in the medal scam, which was done using the name of a member of the royalty.

Kedah police chief Comm Datuk Asri Yusoff said on Thursday (Aug 10) that the suspect, in his 50s, was picked up at the medal presentation ceremony organised by a volunteer association in Perak on Wednesday.

Comm Asri said the cheating was done by linking the name of a royal who was said to have given his blessings, he told a press conference at the state police contingent headquarters here.

He added that the ceremony was attended by about 200 guests from Kedah, Penang and Perak.

The ceremony was officiated by a VIP who was told to award the medals on behalf of his elder brother. However, he did not know anything about the scam, he said.

The victims who were conferred the Ahli Kehormat Pingat Setia Raja Negara (PSRN) medal were required to bank in RM5,000 (S$1,590) each to the association's account as member fee.