KUALA LUMPUR: An online gambling syndicate catering to foreigners, was dismantled with the arrest of 19 foreigners in an operation in the city.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation, which began at 10.30pm on Monday (Jan 19), covered several locations including Bukit Bintang, Jalan Alor, Jalan Changkat and Jalan Bedara.
"We conducted the raids following an extensive intelligence gathering.
"We inspected 31 foreign men and two local men. A total of 19 people were nabbed including 12 Bangladeshis, four from Myanmar and three Indonesians aged between 21 and 50.
"All those detained are believed to have committed offences under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for failing to possess valid travel documents and overstaying in the country," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 20).
In addition, two local men and one local woman were issued notices to report to the Immigration Department to assist in further investigations, he said.
"We also seized various items including 59 tablets of various brands, three monitors, three CCTV decoders and one WiFi-enabled CCTV unit," he added.
Zakaria said investigations revealed that the online gambling syndicate targeted foreign nationals as its main clientele.
"The premises were found to be operating daily and were particularly active at night until the early hours of the morning. The syndicate reportedly enforced strict security measures, appointing foreign nationals known as “captains” as guards and using facial recognition to screen customers before granting entry," he said.
All gambling activities were concealed within rented houses and small business premises to evade detection by enforcement authorities, he said.
"The operation reflected our continued commitment to enforcement, adding that firm and coordinated action would be taken against any party found violating laws under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM)," he added.
A total of 25 officers of various ranks were involved in the raids.
