Don't sensationalise the 'exploits' of Lebanese businessman Elie Yousef Najem which could lead the public to perceive him as a hero.

This is Deputy Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan's message to the media.

"You are making him into a hero...please don't play him up in the media," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

He said Elie, who claimed to be a billionaire and a doctor, was being investigated by police in connection with four alleged cheating cases.

A fifth case of alleged cheating involving him was due for hearing in court in June.

Victims sought

Police were seeking victims in the cases to record their statements, he told reporters after launching a crime prevention booklet entitled in Petaling Jaya.

A total of 10,000 copies of the booklet would be distributed to the public by the police, Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation and the college.

Elie, 45, made newspaper headlines after announcing a " donation " of US$275 million (RM1.03 billion) to the National Cancer Council (Makna) to build a cancer treatment and research hospital last Saturday.

Following this, there were complaints from several quarters who claimed to have been cheated by the businessman.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday ordered the police to immediately investigate the public complaints against Elie, who also claimed that he was suffering from malignant brain tumor.