Johor Immigration Smashes Online Gambling Syndicate Raking In RM900,000 Monthly

JOHOR BAHRU, May 4 (Bernama) -- The Johor Immigration Department dismantled an online gambling syndicate generating about RM900,000 in monthly profits following a raid in Iskandar Puteri last Wednesday.

State Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said 'Ops Serkap' on April 29 followed a week of surveillance after public tip-offs about suspicious activities at a high-end apartment.

He said the raid led to the arrest of eight foreign nationals, including two Chinese men aged 35 and 38, a seven-year-old Chinese child, and five Thai women aged between 33 and 38.

"Investigations revealed that the syndicate raked in lucrative profits reaching RM900,000 a month. They are believed to have been operating in the country for the past three months, using the residence as a call centre targeting players in Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"The syndicate's modus operandi involved players contacting operators via mobile phones to arrange money transactions through banks in those countries. The operators at the apartment were then responsible for crediting points into the players' IDs," he told a press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs Complex here today.

Mohd Rusdi said the department seized RM2,500 in cash, seven computers, 34 smartphones, and a printer during the raid.

He said the 38-year-old Chinese man is believed to be the mastermind, while the other suspects acted as operators managing transactions and bets.

All suspects are currently being detained under the Immigration Regulations 1963 for further investigation and prosecution.

Meanwhile, Mohd Rusdi said the department had conducted 458 enforcement operations between January and March this year, leading to the arrest of 1,452 individuals for various immigration offences involving flying passports, counter-setting activities, and human trafficking.

-- BERNAMA