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37 arrested in Malaysia for running illicit gambling websites

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Police have arrested 37 Koreans in Malaysia on suspicion of running illegal gambling websites. / gettyimagesbank
Police have arrested 37 Koreans in Malaysia on suspicion of running illegal gambling websites. / gettyimagesbank

By Kang Seung-woo

Thirty-seven Koreans have been arrested on suspicion of operating illegal gambling websites in Malaysia, with stakes worth hundreds of billions of won, the police said, Thursday.

The 37, from two illegal gambling rings, are being questioned by police after being extradited from the Southeast Asian country from July 9 through Wednesday.

This marks the largest number of Koreans ever caught overseas for running illegal gambling websites.

According to police, one group, comprised of nine members led by a 41-year-old man surnamed Lee, is suspected of running an illicit website in Kuala Lumpur since March 2015, raking in illegal profits of 19.2 billion won ($16.2 million). Police estimate transactions on the site totaled more than 384 billion won.

The other ring, led by a 38-year-old man identified as Roh, is alleged to have operated similar illegal gambling websites in the Malaysian capital since April 2017.

The massive arrests came after the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) and its Malaysian counterpart launched joint operations to catch them in May when the former provided the latter with evidence during a meeting on the sidelines of the International Symposium on Cybercrime Response in Seoul, leading to their arrests.

As a result, the Malaysian police found the groups' hideouts and proposed that the Korean police carry out a joint raid on them.

To this end, the KNPA dispatched a team of investigators to Malaysia in late June. In cooperation with 50 local police officers, the team apprehended the groups, confiscating 25 computers and 40 mobile phones registered under fake names.

It took nine days to bring the 37 people to Korea, as only one Korean airline operates daily flights between Korea and Malaysia, while one Malaysian carrier offers two flights a day. The KNPA team brought six of the suspects on the Korean carrier when they returned home, while the Malaysian police sent the other 31 to Seoul via the Malaysian carrier's flights, two to three people per flight, and the Korean police took them into custody at the airport upon arrival.




Kang Seung-woo ksw@koreatimes.co.kr


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