Thai cops foil M’sian-led Macau scam ring

SONGKLA: Thai police have arrested 15 members of a Macau scam syndicate, including 10 Malaysian men, in an integrated operation in Danok, a town near the MalaysiaThailand border.

The 10 Malaysians and five Thais were detained when the authorities raided five locations in Danok on Wednesday.

“The syndicate fraudulently raked in over five million baht (RM632,000) a month from their victims, who are mostly from China, Taiwan and Malaysia,” said Thai Immigration Acting Police Chief Mej Jen Surachet Hakpal yesterday.

The syndicate would post advertisements via Facebook on efforts to build temples and houses of worship, and invite people to “donate” to the cause by depositing money into a certain account, he added.

Surachet said the syndicate was led by a Malaysian man known as “Ah Khun”.

In the raid, police seized 51 mobile phones, a computer, dozens of bank account books and ATM cards, as well as 41,500 baht (RM5,250) and RM31,000 in cash.

In Kuching, Sarawak police conducted 2,046 operations against illegal gambling activities between January and October this year, out of which 1,985 were successful.

A total of 2,761 individuals were arrested and RM760,347 in cash and 669 gambling devices seized.

State CID chief, Senior Asst Comm Denis Leong Soo Kuai said out of the successful operations, 489 were against online gambling, 1,383 against illegal 4D activities, 23 against gambling in common gaming houses, 33 against gambling in public areas, 23 against illegal cockfighting and 34 against illegal betting. — Bernama