Nationwide crackdown on illegal gambling dens: Police

KUALA LUMPUR: All 14 state police contingents nationwide have been instructed to locate and eradicate illegal gaming machine outlets in their respective states.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said that this will be a holistic crackdown and they will not only focus on illegal gambling dens but also work with government agencies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to fight against online gambling as well.
Noor Rashid also added that he was given the mandate by IGP Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun to once-and-for-all eradicate illegal gambling in the country.
He said following a strategic meeting with all state deputy police chiefs and criminal investigation chiefs, a committee had been formed to carry forward their plan.
"The committee will be headed by me and we will devise solutions and strategies to completely eradicate illegal gambling in the nation once and for all," he said during a press conference at Bukit Aman today.
Noor Rashid's three-pronged plan includes beginning raids on identified outlets, identify those that run, assist and aid these syndicates, round them up and lastly make sure those operations that have been closed down do not resurface again.
He said that the crackdown will begin as soon as the next three days as the committee is putting the wheels in motion.
Meanwhile, he said investigations into the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school fire that resulted in the death of 21 students and two teachers two weeks ago have officially been completed.
He said that not all the suspects arrested will be charged with arson because they were not directly involved in the act that caused the fire.
"They may have been involved in the discussions about setting the school on fire. Those who were actively involved will be charged, but other suspects will be charged for a different offence," he said.
Kuala Lumpur police Chief Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh confirmed that they will be charged today and only two suspects out of the seven arrested will be charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
"The other five suspects will be charged under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and we have received instructions from the Attorney General's chambers that they will be charged tomorrow," said Amar.
Seven boys, aged 11 to 18, were arrested for setting the tahfiz school on fire.