BALIK PULAU – Police here believe they have crippled a regional syndicate specialising in online gambling and investment scams following a series of raids.
The raids saw the arrests of five male suspects, including a foreigner, and the confiscation of equipment, including crypto-mining machines.
Southwest district police chief Kamarul Rizal Jenal said the first raid at 7.30pm yesterday was at a house in Pantai Jerejak, Bayan Lepas, where three local men and a foreign man aged between 30 and 41 years old were arrested.
Initial checks found equipment linked to online gambling with the links ‘bwc88nep.com’ and ‘merc.adminbwc88ags.com’.
“Police then raided a house in Jelutong, near here, at 10.35pm before arresting a 30-year-old man,” Kamarul added in a statement.
A subsequent raid also in Jelutong, at an office lot, found more evidence of online gaming activities.
The syndicate had used the three premises for creating advertisements to distribute on social media as well as to promote gambling platforms to users in Nepal, Singapore, and Malaysia, said Kamarul.
Police also found evidence of electricity meter tampering at the premises.
Among the items seized were eight computer monitors, five laptops, five computers, seven mobile phones, bank cards, notebooks containing advertising scripts for online gambling, and cryptocurrency mining machines.
The suspects are under remand for four days to assist in investigations, and police are actively trying to trace more people linked to the syndicate.
The case is being investigated under Sections 420 and 427 of the Penal Code, Section 4(1)(c) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, and Section 37(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990.
Kamarul urged the public to be wary of dark web activities, as they are mostly illicit. - The Vibes, July 20, 2023. – Bernama, July 20, 2023
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