JOHOR BARU: Police here have arrested 71 individuals for working at two call centres involved in online gambling activities and fake job offers.
Johor police chief Commissioner Datuk M. Kumar said the commercial crimes investigation department raided two offices in Iskandar Puteri on Wednesday (Nov 27).
"We suspect that the first operation has been active since early November, while the second syndicate has been operating since October, targeting victims in Malaysia and overseas," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 4).
He added that the first syndicate is believed to have developed and sold online gambling apps to local and overseas buyers.
"We believe that the second syndicate uses a two-tier system, where their first-tier staff act as customer service agents to approach potential victims through mobile messaging apps with easy job opportunities that pay US$100 (RM445) to US$800 (RM3,576) per task.
"The first tier usually asks for the victim’s name, age, and country of origin. If the victim responds, they are referred to the second tier, which further communicates about other 'opportunities'," Comm Kumar said, adding that the syndicate targets victims in Russia and India.
From both raids, a total of 71 people aged 22 to 52 were arrested at both locations. Among them, 35 were foreigners.
At the first location, police arrested 18 foreign men, aged 26 to 44, and seized 27 mobile phones, 18 laptops, 12 computer monitors, tablet devices, modem units, and some keys.
At the second location, 53 individuals were arrested for suspected involvement in offering fake job opportunities and online gambling activities. Among those arrested, 18 were women.
Police also seized 53 mobile phones, 23 laptops, 16 computers, books, and other electronic items such as modems and routers during the second raid.
The total seized items at both locations were worth about RM225,000.
The suspects have been remanded for a week for investigations that include Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
"The 18 suspects from the first raid are expected to be charged at the Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (Dec 4) morning," said Comm Kumar.
He added that the Deputy Public Prosecutor has also instructed the police to conduct further investigations on the second syndicate and obtain more witness statements.
"Police will take immediate action on the instructions given. We also give a stern warning to those involved in such activities that we will not compromise on those using Johor as their base for illegal activities," he added.
