School dropout among six detained in raid at online gambling den

KUCHING: A 16-year- old school dropout was among six individuals, including three females, detained by the police during a raid conducted at a house in Jalan Stampin on Thursday for operating online gambling.

State CID chief SAC Datuk Dev Kumar said all the suspects aged between 16 and 37 years were believed to be local agents employed by a West Malaysian online gambling syndicate.

“One of those arrested was a 16-year old boy, a Form 4 school dropout,” he said in a press statement yesterday.

The raiding team, seized 14 mobile phones, three computers, record sheet and various WI-Fi peripherals as exhibits.

He added that the raid was the second online gambling uncovered in Kuching.

“On 16th September last year, the state CID uncovered the first online gambling transaction centre in Satok, Kuching. Seven agents, aged between 17 and 30 years were arrested and eight computers, 18 mobile phones seized,” he said adding that all the suspects were remanded in police custody.

The case is being investigated under section 4 (1) of the Betting Act 1953.

Dev disclosed that the online gambling operators were using a new tactic by operating behind a 24 hour convenience store.

“Facing the heat from the police, cyber gambling operators are now operating clandestinely and changing the way of doing business to evade authorities. “

“Apart from providing reload services to gamblers at convenience stores, the more established operators are operating behind the scenes by providing end to end online services to gamblers within a cash market.”

“It is the goal of the state police to wipe out online gambling in Sarawak. It is a monumental task but we are prepared to face the challenge,” he stressed.