KUCHING: Police arrested 37 individuals, aged between 16 and 64, after carrying out 26 raids against illegal gambling operations in Sarawak last week.
Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief, SAC Dato’ Datuk Dev Kumar Sree Shunmugam said the operation was conducted from 17 to 23 April with 24 of the raids involving those selling illegal 4D tickets.
He said most of the raids were conducted in Padawan and Kuching areas.
“The 24 illegal 4D raids resulted in the arrest of 28 individuals and seizure of cash amounting to RM3,346, mobile phones, portable printers, calculators and stationeries.
“Eight of the raids were conducted in Padawan district and Kuching, five raids,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
Dev Kumar said the CID headquarters team carried out 3 raids while the Padawan and Miri District CID teams carried out eight and four raids respectively.
“The district CID teams in Kuching, Sri Aman and Betong carried out two raids each while the CID teams in Bintulu, Limbang and Kota Samarahan, Sarikei and Julau carried one raid each,” he added.
Besides the illegal 4D, he said a cock-fighting raid was conducted in Miri and resulted in the arrest of seven individuals, as well as the seizure various paraphernalia used for gambling.
The makeshift cock-fighting pit was destroyed by the police team, he added.
Dev Kumar said 19 of the raids were conducted at public places, mostly at five-foot-ways, three at shoplots, three at coffee shops and one at grocery shop.
He said those arrested were being investigated for offences under the Common Gaming House Act, 1953 and Prevention to Cruelty of Animals Ordinance, 1962.
“Operations against illegal gambling in Sarawak will be ongoing. There will be no let up in our efforts to eradicate illegal gambling in this state,” he said.
