KUCHING: Forty-six raids on illegal gambling premises and illegal character lottery were launched across the state last week, with 72 individuals arrested and cash totalling RM37,722 seized.
State CID chief Datuk Dev Kumar said the raids were held from Aug 22 to 28.
“The raids resulted in the arrest of 72 individuals engaged in promoting public lottery without licence and online gambling,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“These operations were carried out following a directive from the Commissioner of Police Sarawak, Datuk Mazlan Mansor, to all OCPDs to clear their districts of gambling activities.”
He said two premises were raided in Kuching and one in Padawan for online gambling. About 20 computers and 16 tablets were seized. One of the gambling outlets, at RH Plaza, had been raided three times this year.
The raids on gambling in a public places were conducted in Sibu, Bintulu and Tebedu. Thirteen individuals were arrested and table money amounting to RM6,726 were seized.
Other areas were Bau, Serian, Kota Samarahan, Simunjan, Lubok Antu, Betong, Sarikei, Meradong, Julau, Kapit, Belaga, Tatau, Limbang, Marudi and Lawas. Dev said raids in five districts were unsuccessful.
On the 72 nabbed, Dev Kumar said they were aged between 14 and 70 years, and nine of them were foreigners. Fifty six of them were males.
The 40 illegal character lottery raids resulted in the seizure of various exhibits such as portable printers, mobile phones, calculators, betting ledgers and slips.
Meanwhile, when met by reporters after closing the Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and Marksmanship Course Series 1, 2016, at the General Operations Force (GOF) camp in Batu Kawah yesterday, Dev Kumar said the armed robbery at a house in Bau on Saturday was believed to be the handiwork of the same group that broke into a house in Kota Sentosa and Kampung Stakan Melayu previously.
Dev Kumar echoed Bau District police chief DSP Mohd Sabri Zainol, who believed that the intruders belonged to a group called ‘Geng Rantau’ and were foreigners.
Among the items reported missing last weekend were a Nissan Murano, a television and two iPhones. Estimated losses was RM150,000.
Early Tuesday, during a break-in at Kampung Stakan Melayu, the robbers drove off a Toyota Hilux and a Honda Wave motorcycle. The previous Saturday, a house at Taman Seri Borneo, Jalan Stephen Yong, was robbed, too.
Dev Kumar said there were 31 armed robbery cases in the state so far this year.