Illegal casino busted, 33 arrested in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: An illegal casino was busted just eight hours after opening its doors in Penampang near here. 

The casino, located in three renovated shop lots along Jalan Bundusan, was raided by police at about 12.50am on Monday.

Sabah police CID chief Datuk Salehuddin Abdul Rahman said 33 people, aged between 20 and 67, were arrested during the raid.

Among those arrested were 15 workers of the illegal casino as well as 18 clients including three Indonesian women.

Salehuddin said police also seized more than RM128,000 in cash, 17,194 gambling chips as well as roulette and baccarat tables. 

Also seized were playing cards and a computer set.

He said initial investigation showed that the illegal casino had just opened for business at 4pm on Sunday.

Just as police team were raiding the illegal casino, they noticed a group of people playing mahjong at a nearby shop lot.

He said the police team immediately arrested five people in the premises.

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Forty-six gambling chips valued at RM3,000, a mahjong game set and a table were seized.

In another case, Salehuddin said police arrested two men and seized three fake pistols and a sniper rifle in Tuaran and Tamparuli on Sunday. 

He said police discovered the weapons after they stopped a car in Tuaran town and found two fake pistols, three magazines and 13 gas canisters in the vehicle.

After questioning the 27-year-old car driver, police went to a house in Tamparuli and detained a 24-year-old man after seizing the sniper rifle.

Salehuddin said the suspect then led police to a house at Kampung Pandamai in Tuaran where they seized another fake pistol there.