KUCHING: The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has brought down an online gambling syndicate with the arrest of 41 individuals and the shutdown of their call centre last Thursday (Jan 9).
Kuching police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah in a statement, said the raid was carried out on a residence at Jalan Kepayang.
“In the operation, a local man along with 40 foreigners, aged between 18 and 31, were taken into custody for allegedly operating the online call centre.
“Also seized was various equipment used to run the centre including 19 computers, 17 laptops and 28 various branded phones,” he said.
He added that an investigation paper has been opened under Section 4(1)(g) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 for promoting gambling-related platforms.
If convicted, offenders face a fine up to RM50,000, imprisonment for a term of up to three years, and an additional fine up to RM50,000 for each gambling machine seized.
Meanwhile, the foreign detainees are also being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing valid travel documents.
“The local suspect has been remanded for three days until Jan 13, while the foreigners are remanded for 14 days until Jan 22,” he said.
Mohd Farhan expressed gratitude to the public for providing information that led to the operation, and assured that the police remain committed to conducting crackdowns on online gambling syndicates.
Anyone with information related to this bust, is urged to contact ASP Christ Olsen Ramlee at 013-8607572 or the Kuching police operations centre at 082-244 444.
