By Elton Gomes
Nine detained in World Cup gambling crackdown
PENAMPANG: Nine people, including a local woman and a foreign man, were detained by police for involvement in illegal betting on the on-going FIFA World Cup 2018 matches.
State Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah said the nine suspects, aged between 22 and 35, were picked up by police under Ops Soga, a joint operation between the state police contingent (IPK) and the Penampang police contingent (IPD Penampang), between June 18 - 20.
“Five raids were made during Ops Soga in Penampang and Putatan.
“The first raid was at a car wash at Kampung Nosob in Penampang around 7.30pm on June 18, where police detained a couple in their early 20s and late 30s.
“The second raid, also on June 18, was made at an unnumbered house at Taman Prima Sumudu in Penampang around 9pm whereby two local men aged 32 and 35 were arrested for allegedly involved in illegal betting,” he said at a press conference at the Penampang police headquarters.
The third and fourth raids were carried out at Kampung Muhibah in Putatan and a billiard shop in Donggongon at 6.50pm and 9.15pm respectively.
Omar said three men, aged 22 to 32, were held at Kampung Muhibah while a 20-year-old local man was apprehended at the billiard shop.
“An Indonesian man, age 37, was apprehended by police at a premises in Donggongon at 5pm on June 20,” he said.
Police also seized numerous items such as handphones, laptop, printer, money counting machine, note books, betting sheets and RM98,653 in cash.
All the suspects have been remanded and the cases would be investigated under Section 6 (3) of the Common Gaming House 1953.
The FIFA World Cup 2018 is currently being held in Russia from June 14 until July 15.