PETALING JAYA: A group of Chinese nationals was arrested by the Immigration Department in a special operation on Oct 9 for operating an online gambling syndicate targeting foreign markets.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the group had been carrying out their illegal activities from a luxury residential unit along Jalan P. Ramlee in Kuala Lumpur to avoid detection.
The syndicate reportedly used social media platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp to promote their services and communicate with clients overseas.
“The operation, which began at 3.50pm, involved a team of officers and personnel from the Intelligence and Special Operations Division based at the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya,” Zakaria said in a statement.
The raid followed two weeks of intelligence gathering and public tip-off.
The enforcement team was deployed to the location after sufficient surveillance and evidence had been collected, leading to the arrest of 11 Chinese nationals – 10 men and one woman – aged between 20 and 40.
Zakaria said of the 11 detainees, three men and one woman had no valid travel documents or permits to remain in the country, while five others had expired visas.
“During the raid, the team confiscated seven Chinese passports, 11 laptops, seven mobile phones, three desktop units and RM3,900 in cash.”
He said the group had violated several provisions of Malaysian immigration law.
“Two Chinese men were detained for suspected offences under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963, five Chinese men were held under Section 15(4) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and three men and one woman under Section 6(3) of the same Act.”
All detainees were taken to the Immigration office in Putrajaya for further investigation.
Zakaria reaffirmed the department’s commitment to carrying out consistent and decisive enforcement operations to curb activities that breach national laws.
He said such efforts were vital to safeguarding the country’s security and sovereignty, in line with the principles and vision of the Madani government.
