ISKANDAR PUTERI: A group of punters were caught red-handed by police for participating in a cockfighting tournament held inside an oil palm estate in Kangkar Pulai here last night.
The 10.30pm raid was conducted after police were tipped off about the cockfighting which has been going on over the last three months in the estate located in a small village in Kangkar Pulai.
Iskandar Puteri police chief Assistant Commissioner Noor Hashim Mohamad said a team comprising officers from the Iskandar Puteri Criminal Investigation Department and Kangkar Pulai police station teamed up to raid the premises at the back of a house which was transformed into a cockfighting ring.
Noor Hashim said 16 punters aged between 27 and 73 were arrested during the raid, including three Indonesian women, and 17 cockerels were seized.
"Cockfighting is illegal and is a serious offence in this country. Initial investigation revealed that the illegal activity was organised by an Indonesian man in his 50s," he said.
Noor Hashim said it was believed that bets amounting to about RM8,000 would be collected during each tournament which was usually held over the weekends.
"Each tournament starts about 8pm and lasts until early morning. The highest collection of bets that punters had chipped in the illegal activity was around RM20,000," he said.
He said an Indonesian man in his 50s was arrested at 10.30am today as police suspected him to be the organiser of the event.
The case was being investigated under Section 7(2) of the Common Gaming House Act 1953 for organising an illegal public gambling, and Section 44(1)(b) of the Animal Act 1953 for animal cruelty offences.