Police arrest 72 people in a raid on an illegal cockfighting and gambling syndicate in Klang, seizing over RM55,000 in cash and 18 chickens.
SHAH ALAM: Police have arrested 72 individuals for their alleged involvement in illegal cockfighting and gambling.
The raid was conducted at an illegal orchard near Bayu Perdana Apartments in Klang yesterday afternoon.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the operation, codenamed Ops Cakar, led to the arrest of two suspected organisers and 70 gamblers.
Those detained comprise 41 locals and 31 foreign nationals, all aged between 20 and 70.
Shazeli said the syndicate had been operating for about six months, using the secluded orchard for weekly matches every Sunday.
“The operation resulted in the seizure of RM55,075 in cash and various gambling equipment,” he said in a statement.
Officers from the Selangor Veterinary Services Department also discovered 14 live chickens and four dead chickens believed to have died from cockfighting.
Investigations revealed that bets for each cockfighting match could reach up to RM10,000.
All suspects are being held at the Klang Selatan district police headquarters for further investigation.
They are being probed under the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Shazeli added that enforcement operations would be intensified to curb illegal gambling.
He urged the public to provide information on criminal activities to the police.