KUDAT: Police crippled an online gambling syndicate and arrested 39 people in an “Ops Dadu” raid on three rooms suspected of being used as an online gambling “call centre” on the seventh floor of a shopping complex along Jalan Pintas in Penampang, Kota Kinabalu.
Locals, Chinese and Indonesians were among those detained in the 12.15pm raid on Tuesday.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the raid was conducted by the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Gambling/Vice/Secret Societies Prevention Division.
“Those detained comprised 19 men and 20 women aged between 20 and 40, suspected of promoting online gambling.
“Their targeted victims are believed to be from other countries,” he told a press conference after the Kudat District Police Chief handover ceremony at the Kudat District Police Headquarters, here, Wednesday.
Police also recovered equipment used for online gambling.
Among the confiscated equipment were 74 computer monitors, 38 computer processors and 22 handphones.
Jauteh said preliminary findings showed the syndicate had been in operation for more than six months.
“The workers are paid a salary of RM1,500 through their bank accounts and took up the jobs as customer service officers after reading an advertisement on Facebook,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 4(1)(g) of the Open Gambling Act 1953.
Jauteh said the State Criminal Investigation Department will continue to take maximum action against gambling activities, particularly those involving on-premises online gaming, by improving intelligence and operational information with which it has been entrusted.
Earlier, Jauteh witnessed the handover ceremony between acting Kudat District Police Chief DSP Robin@Ridzuan Ismail and Supt Mohd Haris Ibrahim as Kudat District Police Chief.
Present was Sabah Criminal Investigation Department Head SAC Azmi Abdul Rahim.
