Police bust online gaming scam syndicate operating from abandoned hotel

The New Straits Times reports that police in Malaysia have dismantled an online gaming scam syndicate operated from an abandoned hotel in Sungai Petani. The syndicate, consisting of four Bangladeshi men aged between 30 and 53, was dismantled in a raid on Wednesday, following public tip-offs about suspicious activities at the hotel.

The syndicate is believed to have operated since June, using a dedicated website and WhatsApp to communicate with clients, also believed to be Bangladeshi nationals. The operation led to the arrest of the four men, who each earned about RM2,700 per month, and the seizure of various items, including mobile phones, computer processing units, and cash, estimated to be worth RM18,000.

The syndicate is alleged to have targeted around 18 to 50 customers daily, resulting in estimated losses of about RM2,000 a day due to delayed withdrawals. Police are investigating the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and Section 120B for criminal conspiracy.

Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.