29 foreigners linked to online scratch-and-win syndicate fined for immigration offences
BALIK PULAU: Twenty-nine Chinese and Cambodian citizens linked to an online scratch-and-win syndicate pleaded guilty at the magistrate's court here today to overstaying and entering the country without valid travel documents.
In a magistrate's court in Balik Pula, 29 Chinese and Cambodian nationals were found guilty of overstaying their visas and entering Malaysia without proper travel documents. The accused, aged between 21 and 63, entered their pleas after being charged in Mandarin before magistrate Chia Huey Ting. Of the 29, seven were found guilty of overstaying without a valid reason at a location in Lintang Teluk Kumbar 1, while 22 others were charged with entering the country without valid passes at a site in Solok Bukit Belah 2, Bayan Lepas.
Both charges carry a minimum fine of RM10,000 and a potential jail term of up to five years, with the option of both penalties. The court imposed fines of RM10,000 on each of the 29, with an additional five months imprisonment for those who failed to pay. Meanwhile, each of the 22 accused was fined RM4,000, with a further four months in jail if the fine was unpaid.
The investigation, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Sofi Jaafar, uncovered that the syndicate operated from a bungalow and modified premises, using live streaming sessions on social media platforms to lure victims. Penang Police Chief Datuk Dennis Lim announced the dismantling of the online scratch-and-win syndicate, which targeted citizens from China and Cambodia.
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