Robert (centre) with his senior officers showing the seized computer sets.
KENINGAU: Police arrested four men for allegedly operating illegal gambling machines and three arson suspects.
The four local men were detained when police raided three premises operating illegal gambling machines here and in Tambunan on March 17 to 19.
District police chief DSP Robert Salisip @ David disclosed yesterday that police seized 34 computer sets worth RM34,000 suspected for use in gambling activities during the raids.
“Also seized was cash amounting to RM1,010. Four men, two arrested in Keningau and two in Tambunan, have been remanded for further investigation,” he said.
The four men, Robert said, were being investigated under Section 4B (a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which, if convicted, would make them liable to a fine of not less than RM10,000 and not more than RM100,000 for each gaming machine seized and shall be punishable with imprisonment of not more than five years.
Robert said efforts against illegal gambling were being intensified in the area and urged the public to cooperate in providing information on such activities to the police.
Meanwhile, two local men and a foreigner were apprehended for arson.
According to the police, on March 14 about 10.30pm, the victim received a call from a resident informing him the house of his employees in Kampung Kuala Punteh had been set on fire.
After receiving the call, he called his worker at the nearby oil palm farm to go to the house to help put out the fire. When the victim reached the scene about 30 minutes later, he found the house had been completely destroyed.
Robert said at the time of the incident, an employee of the victim, a 28-year-old foreigner, lived in the house. Fearing that his employee might be in the house during the fire, the victim sought police assistance.
Later, the victim was told by another worker that another employee (the one that was detained) had gone to the house with two other villagers. They apparently knocked on the door and when the other employee refused to open the door, they kicked the door and later in anger, allegedly set the house on fire
“The victim suffered an estimated loss of about RM30,000,” he said.
Robert added the victim’s employee was arrested at Kampung Kuala Punteh on March 15 while the two local villagers, aged 17 and 31 years old, were detained on March 19 in the same village.
The three suspects are being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of seven years and a fine.
Robert meanwhile assured the public that the security in this district is under control and the people should not worry because the police are always monitoring the situation, especially in residential areas here where many foreigners reside.
“I would like to remind the people not to listen to rumors spread through Short Message Service (SMS) or the internet by unscrupulous people regarding the intrusion incident in Lahad Datu,” he said.