ISKANDAR PUTERI: Police arrested 71 individuals, including 35 foreign nationals, to assist in investigations into gambling call centre activities and online job scams here last Wednesday.
Johor police chief Datuk M Kumar said that following a tip-off from the public, police raided and inspected two office premises suspected of being involved in these illicit activities, which targeted victims from abroad.
He said that the individuals arrested, aged between 22 and 52, included 36 locals and 35 foreigners.
“According to our investigation, the first syndicate began its operations early last month, developing and selling online gambling applications for both the domestic and international markets,” he said in a statement today.
During the raids, authorities seized various items, including 27 mobile phones, 18 laptops, 12 monitors, one Mac Mini, one iPad, three Wi-Fi modems, and two keyboards, with an estimated total value of RM80,000.
Kumar added that the second syndicate began operations at the end of October and was organised into two distinct layers: customer service and data entry. The syndicate would send job offers via Telegram, promising easy, high-paying tasks with incomes ranging from USD100 to USD800 per task.
They would then request feedback regarding the recipient’s name, age, and country. If the recipient provided the requested information, it would be forwarded to the second layer, where further communication about the offer would take place. This scheme targeted victims primarily from Russia and India.
Authorities seized a significant amount of equipment during the raids, including 53 mobile phones, 23 laptops, 16 computer sets, four Wi-Fi modems, four routers, exercise books, and a monitor, with a total estimated value of RM145,000.
Kumar added that all cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Section 4B(b) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, and offences under the Immigration Regulations 1963.
“All individuals arrested have been remanded for investigation until today. Both investigation papers were referred to the state deputy public prosecutor’s office yesterday for further instructions,” he said.
The deputy public prosecutor (DPP) has ordered that 18 individuals arrested in the first raid be charged under Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code in the Magistrate’s Court today.
Regarding the second raid, the DPP has directed further investigations to obtain additional evidence for the case, which will be reviewed accordingly.
