Police Raid 201 Premises Used As Fronts For Illegal Gambling Rings
Syndicates allegedly used cafes and sundry shops as fronts for their illegal gambling operations.
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A total of 282 people have been arrested following police raids on 201 premises allegedly used as fronts by illegal gambling syndicates
During a two-day nationwide operation that began on 31 October, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) carried out Op Dadu Khas, taking down 108 online gambling dens alongside 93 unlicensed public lottery operations.
According to the New Straits Times, the raids revealed an elaborate offline-to-online operation. The 282 arrested individuals included 229 men and 53 women aged between 20 and 65.
"They comprise 229 men and 53 women, including 59 foreigners from Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bangladesh believed to be working for the syndicates," Bukit Aman CID director Datuk M Kumar said at a press conference yesterday, 3 November.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk M Kumar.
Image via NSTP/AIZUDDIN SAADSyndicates allegedly hid their operations behind ordinary commercial businesses to mislead authorities
Officers confiscated equipment used to facilitate the illicit transactions, including tablets, mobile phones, portable printers, and RM32,149 in cash.
"All individuals detained have been remanded for one to four days to assist investigations and identify the masterminds running the operations," Kumar said.
He said investigations are underway under Section 4A(a), Section 4B(a), and Section 4C of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, the Immigration Act 1959/63, and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Early findings identified networks linked to names such as Winbox and Alibaba, with authorities actively pursuing the syndicate chiefs
To ensure the raided premises remain offline, Kumar added that police would request local councils to disconnect the power supply to all 201 locations under the Common Gaming Houses Act.
"We are also working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to curb online gambling promotions on social media," Kumar said.
"Following this collaboration, hundreds of gambling advertisements have been taken down," he added.
