Six Chinese Nationals Among 31 Held Over Illegal World Cup Betting In Penang
GEORGE TOWN, July 10 (Bernama) -- Police have arrested 31 individuals, including six Chinese nationals, over illegal betting linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Penang since June 11.
Penang police chief Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said the suspects were arrested in raids on 26 premises believed to have been used as operational centres for such activities.
“We will intensify the Op Soga XI to curb illegal sports betting and online gambling. There are no specific hotspots because those involved in illegal betting can now operate anywhere, such as apartments, houses and shops, and can even do so using mobile phones.
"That is why we need the cooperation of the public to channel information to help detect syndicates carrying out illegal betting activities in the state," he said.
He was speaking at a press conference held in conjunction with the disposal of case exhibits during the Penang police chief's visit to the Northeast District Police Headquarters (IPD) here today.
Lim said that besides arresting individuals acting as agents or runners, the police are also focusing on crippling betting operation centres that serve as the backbone of illegal gambling activities.
He said information from the public is crucial to enable the police to identify the masterminds behind the activities and subsequently dismantle the entire illegal gambling syndicate network.
Op Soga XI is being conducted statewide from June 11 to July 19 by the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department in strategic collaboration with various agencies, including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
Earlier at the event, police disposed of various criminal and commercial case exhibits worth RM1.27 million involving 565 investigation papers handled by the Criminal Investigation Division and the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Northeast IPD.
Among the items disposed of were 1,722 cartons of smuggled cigarettes, 1,913 bottles of alcoholic beverages, 25 units of entertainment equipment, 726 gambling machines, and 173,000 VCDs and DVDs after obtaining disposal orders from the court under Section 407(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Lim said that of the total, 218 investigation papers involved the disposal of criminal case exhibits comprising 15 smuggling cases, nine entertainment cases and 194 gambling cases, with an estimated total value of RM120,146.38.
The commercial exhibits involved pornographic VCDs and DVDs estimated to be worth RM1,156,032, involving 347 investigation papers from 2010 to 2017.
-- BERNAMA
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