KUCHING: The Sarawak Malaysian Immigration Department (JIMS) successfully busted an online fraud gambling syndicate orchestrated by Chinese nationals in an operation codenamed ‘Ops Serkap’ on June 6, 2024 at Prima Bintawa Residence here.
The Department of Immigration (Management) Sarawak deputy director Ibrahim Jack said the Intelligence and Special Operations Division, Kuching Immigration Enforcement Unit gathered complaints and intelligence for two weeks.
“During the operation which began at 11.58 am, the team managed to arrest a 44-year-old Chinese woman who is believed to be the operator responsible for this premises.
“This Chinese woman was also found not to have a valid document to be in Malaysia,” he said in a statement recently.
Ibrahim then revealed that the operation team seized six units of mobile phones, 19 debit and credit cards from various banks, five visa cards, four units of TNG cards, three Boost cards.
He then added that the team also confiscated nine SIM cards and two Notebooks.
“The modus operandi of this syndicate is to do promotions using the WhatsApp application and random calls to customers around Malaysia and try to convince customers to agree to make online gambling bets by providing a link.
“All financial gains from this fraud are believed to be using people’s ATM cards to process transactions,” he added.
Ibrahim also said this syndicate was believed to have been operating for more than six months and was able to generate an income of RM 20,000 per day so that it was able to rent premises to carry out this activity with the profit obtained.
The detained foreign national is suspected of having committed an offence under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966 and the Immigration Regulations 1963 and is detained at the Semuja Immigration Depot for further investigation.
Meanwhile, one local man has been issued a witness summons form to assist in the investigation.
The department said it would continue to take strict action against any party found to have committed an offence under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM).
