JOHOR BARU: Police have refuted claims that they turned a blind eye to gambling activities allegedly operating from a telecommunication store in Kampung Dato' Sulaiman Menteri.
A one-minute and 54-second footage was uploaded on TikTok, showing several men heading to the store after performing their Friday prayers, claiming there were illegal gambling activities there.
One of the men in the footage said he had been living in the housing estate for the past 52 years, and there had been no such activities in the past.
He said the villagers decided to take matters into their own hands after numerous police complaints appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.
Johor Baru (south) police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat refuted the claims.
He said in a statement that four raids with four arrests have been made since the beginning of this year.
The premise's electricity supply was terminated on April 22, by Tenaga Nasional Berhad and its reconnection has not been approved to date.
On Jan 5, a 28-year-old man was arrested and RM210 was seized, while on Feb 15, a 29-year-old man was apprehended and RM80 confiscated.
The following raids and arrests were on Feb 27 and June 27 respectively, resulting in the arrests of two men aged 21 and 25, and RM397 seized in total.
Raub said two investigation papers under Section 4a(a) and Section 4b(a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 were opened following the raids.
One of the arrested suspects was fined RM2,000 in lieu of a four-month imprisonment term, under Section 9(1) of the same act on May 30.
The remaining three investigation papers are awaiting directives from the deputy public prosecutor's office.
"We are committed to ensuring that illegal gambling does not take root in Johor and comprehensive enforcement actions will continue to be intensified," he added.
He also urged the public to report any gambling activities to the Johor Baru South district police headquarters hotline at 07-2182323.