KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty-two Chinese nationals were nabbed following a raid on an online football betting syndicate operating out of a shop office in Cheras.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus said the raid was carried out by the Cheras district police headquarters’ Criminal Investigation division at about 2.40am on July 1, in conjunction with the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 season.
"A total of 29 men and three women, aged between 20 and 40, from China, are believed to be involved in managing customer accounts, overseeing transactions and promoting online football betting activities."
“Investigations found that the syndicate was conducting football betting through a website and had been using the shop office unit as its operations centre for the past three weeks,” he said in a statement on Thursday (July 2).
Several items were seized, including 28 computers, mobile phones of various brands, Internet modems and other equipment during the operation.
"We are investigating the case under Section 4(1)(c) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, Section 4(1)(e) of the Betting Act and Section 6(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63," he added.
Comm Fadil said all the suspects have been remanded for four days until July 4 to assist in investigations.
He added that police would continue to intensify Ops Soga XI throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026 period, with a focus on bookies, organisers and individuals involved in both physical and online gambling activities.
