The addresses of about 100 people in Seberang Perai, Penang, were digitally changed on their MyKad without their consent, several Pakatan Harapan activists claimed today.

This discovery was made by Seberang Perai Municipal Council members Satees Muniandy, David Marshel and PKR election coordinator Ong Eu Leong who visited several residential areas on mainland Penang last week.

"These individuals never went to the National Registration Department (NRD) to have their addresses changed. So how did this happen?

"What is their intention for doing this? Is it to manipulate the data of voters for the coming general election? We believe their voting areas have also been changed and if this is true, it is a crime and the authorities must investigate," Satees told Malaysiakini.

He said that although the addresses written on the MyKad of these people was not changed, running the MyKad chip through card readers showed that their addresses on NRD records had been altered.

This would complicate efforts to check the integrity of the voters' registry, which was already difficult because the Election Commission has refused to supply political parties with digital copies of the lists of voters, he added.

Cops waiting on NRD

It is understood that at least 29 affected voters have lodged police reports on the matter.

When contacted, Seberang Perai Selatan police chief Supt Shafee Abdul Samad said the police have contacted the NRD and would have to wait for its response before taking further action.

When approached today, a Penang NRD front desk officer said the department's officials were not available for comment as they were all at a briefing.

In one of the police reports filed, the complainant claimed that she was visited by a woman at her home in Sungai Bakap on June 16 who requested to read her MyKad through an electronic device for the purpose of obtaining financial aid from the government.

The complainant said she complied because she believed that the visitor was a bona fide government agent out to help her.

"However, when I checked my details on the MyKad reader, my address in the NRD system had been changed to an address in Prai. And I know I did not change my address," the complainant said.

"I never had any intention to change my address, and I have never been to the area where my address had been changed to, and I never visited the NRD for the purpose of changing my address."

Prai town is about 30km away from Sungai Bakap.

Culprits promised gifts

Marshel said the details in the police report and other anecdotal evidence would suggest that there was a syndicate out to deceive the voters into changing their addresses.

"People were told that they would get hampers or be eligible for lucky draws when their MyKads were taken away for four days. When the cards were returned, they were not given the things they were promised," he said.

Marshel accused an Indian-based BN-friendly political party of being behind the syndicate. Attempts to reach the leader of that party's Penang chapter have been unsuccessful.

According to Satees, Marshel and Ong, most victims of the syndicate were of Indian origin.

For Ong, this was a case of déjà vu because there was a similar scheme being run prior to the 2013 general election.

At that time, the affected areas were Batu Maung, Sungai Acheh, Seberang Jaya and Sungai Bakap.

"Last night, we managed to trace another 35 voters who were transferred to another constituency. The modus operandi has not changed since 2013," Ong said.

He added that he and his Harapan colleagues would continue their investigations and house visits until they uncovered the truth behind this scheme.