14 Chinese, 3 Malaysians arrested for running illegal online gambling syndicate

The Malaysian Immigration Department detained 17 members of an online gambling network on Wednesday after conducting a late-night raid in Bangsar’s Jalan Kerinchi.

Three middle-aged men from the area and fourteen Chinese men made up the gang. Immigration officials were forced to forcibly enter the home when inhabitants refused to cooperate, despite public tips and information gathered over a month.

The Chinese nationals were found operating online gambling businesses targeted at Brazilian customers, according to Director-General of Immigration Ruslin Jusoh. The travel documents and authentic identification that all of the Chinese suspects were supposed to possess were not presented. Three male locals who were believed to be the syndicate’s property guardians were taken into custody to aid with the investigation.

Throughout the operation, authorities seized electricity bills for the facilities as well as sixteen PCs, ten computer displays, forty-five cell phones, two tablets, and other ICT equipment. It was believed that closed-circuit television decoding was the purpose of the tablets.

The Chinese nationals were reportedly held on suspicion of breaking the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, and the Immigration Regulations 1963, according to Ruslin. For further processes, the prisoners were sent to the Immigration Department in Kuala Lumpur.

The director-general reiterated that anyone attempting to break the law—especially Malaysians working together to support undocumented immigrants—would not be allowed to negotiate with the Immigration Department. He urged everyone to notify the Immigration Department as soon as they have any information on the whereabouts of foreigners.

Original story by: SCMP