KUCHING: The Sarawak police are tracking down the actual owner of the premises in Kuching City Mall that was used to conduct online gambling activities after five foreigners were arrested at the premises under yesterday’s Op Dadu Khas.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said in a statement today the suspects, 19 to 26, worked as online gambling operators with salaries of RM1,5000.
“Preliminary investigations revealed the gambling den operated round the clock on shifts for the past two months. Based on records and transactions checked, it is believed that the syndicate managed to rake in gross profits of RM30,000 a month,” he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 4(1)(g) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
Since Op Dadu Khas was launched on April 2, the Sarawak police conducted 100 raids with 100 arrests and seizure of RM17,621 in cash, he added.
In other developments, he said losses due to commercial crimes in Sarawak for January till April rose 65.46 per cent to RM34.3 million, compared to RM20.7 million in the same period last year, with cases rising 19.69 per cent to 885 cases compared to 752 cases the year before.
In a separate statement, Mohd Azman said the Sarawak police confiscated 8,739 boxes of fireworks in two raids on premises in Satok and Jalan Rubber, here yesterday, leading to the arrests of two men and a woman, 37 to 61, for not possessing license or permits to store and sell fireworks legally.
Another two locations, in Padawan and in Sibu, were raided for similar offences.
From January till yesterday, seven raids have been conducted involving four cases in Kuching, and one each in Padawan, Sibu and Bintulu, he added - Bernama