KUCHING: A raid by Sarawak Immigration Department netted 52 mainland Chinese including two women involved in an online gambling syndicate.
Its director Datuk Ken Leben said the detainees aged from 18 to 35 were detained on the second-storey of a five-storey building at 10.30pm last Friday.
Of the number, only six individuals have valid travel documents.
“The raiding team comprising 15 officers also seized 199 mobile phones, 84 laptop computers, 17 desktop computers, nine printers, a router, 15 ATM cards of various banks and 68 prepaid phone cards of various brands.
“Their offenses include violating Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations Act 1963 for residing in Malaysia without valid documents. To date, no representatives or individuals have come forward to present passports to the detainees,” he said at a press conference at Sultan Iskandar building yesterday.
He added that after a month of intensive intelligence activities they found that the syndicate had been in operation for past seven months.
“We are still investigating the case and the value of the items seized under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 (AMLA),” he said.
Ken said that relevant information would be extended to relevant agencies including Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Police, Malaysian Multimedia Communications Commission (MCMC), Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) as well as local authorities and various other agencies to trace the mastermind or masterminds behind the syndicate.
Immigration deputy direct, Azlan Othman, was also present at the press conference.
