GEORGE TOWN: Four Nepalese nationals were detained by police in an apartment in Tanjung Tokong here yesterday on suspicion of being involved in an online gambling call centre syndicate.
Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Razlam Ab Hamid said, acting on information, a team from the district raided the apartment at about 5pm.
"Following the raid, we detained the four men, aged between 27 and 32, and seized computer equipment believed to be used for online gambling.
"Investigation revealed the call centre had been operating for three months, and the syndicate members were paid between RM1,500 and RM2,000," he said this evening.
According to Razlam, the syndicate's modus operandi is to use Facebook to promote various gambling games, targetting fellow Nepalese.
"The profit raked in is between RM15,000 and RM20,000 monthly.
"All four have been remanded until Sunday to assist in the investigation," he added.
He said police seized, among others, three laptops, 10 cellphones and a modem.
The case is probed under Section 4(1)(g) of the Open Gambling House Act 1953.
The latest arrest came hot on the heels of similar arrests on Tuesday.
It was reported that Penang police smashed two online gambling call centre syndicates with the arrest of 13 people in two separate raids here on Tuesday.
Both syndicates rake in a profit of about RM2.5 million a month.
The raids took place at a high-end condominium in Queensbay, Bayan Baru, and a business premise in Jelutong, both of which were used as online gambling promotion centres and call centres, targeting customers from Australia, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.