State police leaving no stones unturned in swoop to wipe out the social menace
KUCHING: Sarawak police are intensifying the war against cyber gambling following an ultimatum from Bukit Aman to wipe out this social menace nationwide within a week.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had given a stern directive to all police chiefs in the country to eradicate all cyber gambling premises within seven days.
Failing to do so will result in transfer within 24 hours.
In response, state police chief Dato Sri Wira Muhammad Sabtu Osman said he would abide by all instructions given by the IGP.
“We have been complying with all instructions (from IGP) before and will continue to do so,” Muhammad Sabtu told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He said in Sarawak, the war against cyber gambling had been raged since January, when Operation Dice was launched.
As of October 26, out of the 2,547 raids carried out, 906 were successful, resulting in 2,479 suspects arrested, he added, apart from 11,367 sets of computers and RM294,865 confiscated during the same period.
As an effort to intensify their operation, he said a 24-hour special Dice Operation was carried out from 8am on Oct 26 to 8am on Oct 27, during which 51 raids were carried out resulting in 18 individuals arrested and 134 sets of computer, including cash of RM2,017, seized.
Khalid had been quoted by a Bahasa Malaysia daily as giving the police seven days to get rid
of cyber gambling or face transfer.
According to the IGP, the outdated Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and the delay of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to act against online gambling websites were the causes that led to difficulties in clamping down on illegal online gambling.