KUALA LUMPUR: A Chinese national, believed to be the mastermind of an online gambling syndicate, has been arrested during an operation at Mont Kiara.
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Five other Chinese nationals and a Malaysian were also arrested in the raid last month.
Criminal Investigation Department director Huzir Mohamed said the alleged mastermind, Chen De Wei, was also being sought by Chinese authorities for similar offences in his home country.
“Chen was arrested during a raid at Mont Kiara. He is believed to have brought in people and opened online gambling centres here.
“They (Chen and the six others) are currently serving their 38-day detention under Section 4(2)(a) of Prevention of Crime Act (Poca). After their detention ends on Jan 8, we will decide on further action against them,” he said.
Huzir also said businessmen Zaidi Kanapiah and Goh Leong Yeong, along with two police officers, have been slapped with two-year detention orders by the Prevention of Crime Board.
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“They are serving at different detention centres in Simpang Renggam, Pokok Sena and Bentong now,” he said.
The four men had filed habaes corpus applications at the High Court to secure freedom but the court turned down their bid..
He said police had arrested 130 individuals over alleged involvement in online gaming syndicates.
On another matter, Huzir said police were seeking the Thai government’s assistance to bring three Thai nationals here over the shooting of General Operations Force (PGA) personnel.
Twenty-two individuals, including 21 Thais, have been arrested and remanded.
Last week, PGA personnel Baharuddin Ramli was shot dead in a gunfight with a group of smugglers about 600m from the TS9 control post in Padang Besar, Perlis. His colleague, Norihan Tari, was injured. – FMT