Illegal gambling crackdown nets 75 in 27 raids across state
KUCHING: Police raided a total of 27 premises and arrested 75 individuals last week as part of the ongoing crackdown against illegal gambling activities in the state.
State CID chief Datuk Dev Kumar said those arrested included seven women, aged between 17 and 62 years, and eight foreigners.
“Operations against illegal gambling continued unabated into the New Year, from Jan 1 to 7, 2018. Ten raids were at convenience stores and coffee shops offering online gambling reload services, as part of efforts to eradicate online gambling,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He revealed that the raids were conducted in Kuching, Padawan, Miri, Bintulu, Sri Aman, and Limbang that resulted in the arrest of 21 reload service providers and gamblers, along with the seizure of 17 tablets, mobile phones and RM3,934 in cash.
On the sale of illegal lottery, Dev Kumar said 16 raids were conducted at counters across nine districts, during which 17 individuals were arrested and RM5,789 in cash was seized.
“Mobile phones, portable printers, calculators, betting slips and stationeries were also seized,” he added.
The state CID chief also revealed the arrest of 37 gamblers during a raid at a cock-fighting pit in Batu Niah, Miri on New Year’s Day.
“A team of CID personnel from the state headquarters, led by ASP Lim Jaw Shyong, conducted a raid at an open area in Hulu Suai, Niah, Miri during which 37 gamblers were arrested for cock- fighting in a makeshift tent.
“Live and dead cockerels and gambling paraphernalia related to cook-fighting were also seized.”
Those arrested are being investigated for offences under the Common Gaming House Act 1953 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance 1962.