KUALA LUMPUR: A syndicate that offers online payment facilities for illegal gambling syndicates has been busted with the arrests of 10 individuals, including a Datuk Seri.
Among those detained were technicians, programmers and administrative personnel.
The syndicate, which has been in operation since mid-2022, allowed gambling syndicates to provide online payment methods for their customers.
IGP secretariat's anti-money laundering division head Deputy Comm Datuk Muhammad Hasbullah Ali said suspects aged 27 to 49 were detained in an operation conducted from Jan 28 to 31.
"They were detained in the Klang Valley and remanded for three to 11 days.
"We seized nine mobile phones, three computer accessories, four sets of documents, 10 luxury vehicles and RM325,000 cash.
"42 bank accounts with RM18.2mil in funds were also frozen," he said at a press conference here on Tuesday (Feb 6).
Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate operated under the guise of an entity named Cita Layar Sdn Bhd, he said.
"They developed an online payment gateway called MyPay88 which caters for gamblers.
"We believe they have handed transactions totalling up to RM576mil," he said.
DCP Muhammad Hasbullah said investigations showed that about 40 illegal gambling syndicates used its services.
"Gamblers used the service to make payments and receive their winnings.
"The syndicate earns a 2% commission on every transaction.
"We believe they exploited a loophole to cater for illegal gambling syndicates," he said, adding that the Datuk Seri businessman involved is believed to be the mastermind.
"We are still investigating the suspect and are hunting for the remaining members of the syndicate," he said.
He added that the police are working closely with Bank Negara to identify and bring down other syndicates that offer online payment methods for illegal gambling syndicates.
