SHAH ALAM: Police arrested 34 foreign nationals during a raid on an online gambling syndicate operating from a terrace house in Sungai Buloh last Saturday.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar confirmed the individuals arrested in the 5.10 am raid included 29 men and five women aged between 19 and 33 years old.
Initial investigations revealed the syndicate impersonated women on Facebook to lure customers into accessing gambling websites.
Betting and money withdrawals were conducted via WhatsApp using overseas bank accounts according to police findings.
The syndicate had been active for several months and offered various gambling games with daily profits between 2,000 and 2,500 ringgit.
All suspects worked daily from 9.00 am to 11.00 pm and tested negative in urine screenings with no prior criminal records detected.
Police remanded all suspects for four days starting August 31 and applied for an extension at the Shah Alam Magistrate’s Court.
The case is being investigated under Section 4(1)(b), (c) and (g) of the Open Gambling House Act 1953.
In a separate crackdown, police arrested 39 people including 24 local men and two women in three operations targeting call centre fraud syndicates.
The operations conducted in Subang Jaya and Rawang last month targeted syndicates that caused losses totalling 515 million ringgit.
Investigations revealed the three syndicates operated between March and July targeting victims from Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.
Syndicate members used customer service officers to find victims through social media platforms including Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp.
Victims were persuaded to participate in non-existent investment packages after being successfully convinced through social media communication.
Victims only realised they had been cheated after making payments and losing all contact with the syndicate members. – Bernama
