The Johor Bahru police arrested 89 people on illegal gambling charges within 10 days, according to Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, the police chief of Johor Bahru, Malaysia. At the same time, the police also arrested 21 people at Arkadia Plaza in Desa Park City, all of whom were related to an online gambling syndicate.
Malaysian police arrest 89 people in Johor Bahru
A total of 86 shop owners and several online gambling participants were arrested in police raids on 82 shops between March 19 and March 29. Most of the shops raided were located in the southern part of Johor Bahru.
Since January 1, a total of 423 people have been arrested for online gambling across the state, of which 415 were store owners and the remaining eight were participants in the illegal activities.
The police seized RM59,143 in cash, 451 mobile phones, seven tablet devices and four laptops during the operation. The arrests were made possible by the cooperation between the police and the public, and the police also encourage the public to continue to provide information to assist the police in combating crime.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 60, will be investigated under Section 4, Paragraph 1, Clause 3 of the Gaming Arcades Act 1953. If found guilty, each will be liable to a minimum fine of RM50,000 and a maximum jail term of three years.
Online gambling syndicate busted at Arkadia Plaza in Desa Park, Kuala Lumpur
At the same time, Malaysian police arrested 21 people, all of whom were locals, for allegedly participating in online gambling activities at an apartment in Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur Santul district police chief ACP Beh Eng Lai said the suspects, consisting of 18 men and three women, ranging in age from 20 to 45, were arrested at around 3pm.
The director said that the police discovered during the raid that the group promoted online gambling activities through the gambling website www.aeclub365.com. It is understood that the group started operations in February and operates 12 hours a day starting from noon.
The director said at a press conference held at the Sentul District Police Station: "A total of eight suspects have relevant criminal records. One of the 35-year-old suspects serves as the supervisor of the group, and the others are customer service staff."
The supervisor’s salary is RM10,000, while the customer service staff is responsible for finding 5 players or customers every day through social media channels such as WhatsApp and Facebook. If the performance reaches the standard, they will receive a salary of approximately RM4,000.
Once the player is found, customer service guides the player to deposit funds into the provided gambling account, and the amount is then credited to their gaming account, allowing them to participate in various online gambling applications.
The director said: "Each customer needs to deposit at least HK$100 to register as a member. The group can make a profit of about HK$600,000 (RM336,314.55) per month."
He also revealed to the media that the police have currently seized 21 computers and 65 mobile phones, with an estimated total value of RM400,000. Currently, all suspects have been detained for four days and will not be released until the fifth day.
