KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty-two Chinese nationals were arrested following a raid on an online betting syndicate operating out of a shop office in Cheras.
City police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus said the raid was carried out on Wednesday at about 2.40am in view of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026.
“A total of 29 men and three women, aged between 20 and 40, believed to be involved in managing customer accounts, overseeing transactions and promoting online football betting activities were nabbed.
“Investigations found that the racket was conducting football betting through a website and had been using the unit as its operations centre for the past three weeks,” he said in a statement.
Several items including 28 computers, mobile phones of various brands, Internet modems and other equipment were seized during the operation.
“We are investigating the case under Section 4(1)(c) of the Common Gaming Houses Act, Section 4(1)(e) of the Betting Act and Section 6 (1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said.
All the suspects have been remanded to assist in investigations.
Comm Fadil added that police would continue to intensify Ops Soga throughout the FIFA World Cup period with a focus on bookies, organisers and individuals involved in physical and online gambling activities.
On another case, he said 12 local men were detained over a brawl at the parking area of a shopping mall in Cheras on June 29.
He said the suspects, aged between 20 and 40, were arrested in three separate raids around Kuala Lumpur, several hours after the incident and have been remanded.
“Initial investigations showed that the fight was triggered by a dispute after one of the workers at the mall reprimanded a group for obstructing the road.
“The censure led to a verbal altercation before it escalated into a fight,” he said, adding that an investigation was carried out following a report lodged by one of the men, who sustained minor injuries.
