Four Bangladeshis among six held in Sungai Petani over online gaming scam, syndicate ran from abandoned hotel

SUNGAI PETANI, Oct 25 — Authorities recently apprehended six individuals, including four Bangladeshis, suspected of operating an online gaming scam syndicate from an abandoned hotel in Taman Lagenda, near Sungai Petani. According to Kuala Muda police chief ACP Hanyan Ramlan, the syndicate had been active since June. On Wednesday, October 21, a police team executed a raid and arrested four Bangladeshi men aged between 20 and 53.

The group allegedly targeted members of the Bangladesh community, receiving monthly salaries of approximately RM2,700 for their activities. A further raid on Friday, October 23, led to the arrest of two Malaysian men, aged 40 and 50, who were identified as the premises owner and an agent responsible for the hotel rental. The syndicate is believed to have managed online game credit top-ups through a website and WhatsApp, while delaying customers' withdrawals of winnings, which were marked as "pending withdrawal," resulting in them not receiving their earnings.

Police seized 17 mobile phones, four computer processing units, eight monitors, two modems, a laptop, and RM2,442 in cash from the investigation. The probe continues under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code.