A total of 39 workers of the online gambling syndicate were arrested in the operation in Penampang.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police have busted an online gambling syndicate that operated from a shopping mall in Penampang near here.
Under the operation codenamed "Op Dadu", a team from the state police headquarters’ anti-vice, gambling and secret societies (D7) raided an outlet on the seventh floor of the mall at Jalan Pintas at about 12.15pm on Tuesday (July 4).
The syndicate, which targeted customers from various countries, had used three rooms on the floor as their call centre.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said they arrested a total of 39 people, including two 20 women, comprising locals as well as Chinese and Indonesian citizens in the sting operation.
"The 39 people, aged between 20 and 40, are believed to be working for the syndicate as promoting agents for online gambling," he said, in a press conference at the Kudat police headquarters in northern Sabah on Wednesday (July 5).
"They had salaries of RM1,500 (per person) and were paid through their bank accounts.
"Our investigations found that the syndicate has been operating for more than six months," he added.
Comm Jauteh said the raiding team also seized a host of equipment used by the syndicate for their gambling operations.
Among them, he said, were 38 desktop computers as well as 74 monitors and 22 mobile phones, adding the ring had rented the premises to be their calling centre.
"After interrogating the detainees, it was believed they got the job after responding to an advertisement on social media that offered work as customer service officers," he said.
The case was being probed under Section 4(1)(g) of the Common Gaming House Act 1953.
Towards this end, Comm Jauteh assured that the state police would beef up its efforts to curtail illegal gambling activities, especially online gambling, by stepping up its intelligence work and operations.
Earlier, he witnessed the handing over of duties from outgoing Kudat OCPD Deputy Supt Robin @ Ridzuan Ismail to new OCPD Supt Mohd Haris Ibrahim.
Supt Haris previously served as the Penampang OCPD for the last five years while DSP Robin will assume his new position as the Labuan Deputy OCPD starting July 10.
