JOHOR BARU, Sept 2 — Johor police will ask the local authorities to blacklist business licence holders who abuse their licence and use premises as a front for gambling activities.
Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said this was to ensure that it does not happen again in the future, because investigations found that there are premises that continue to carry out the same activities despite being raided several times.
During the integrated operation with Tenaga Nasional Bhd today to cut off electricity supply, four premises whose electricity supply was cut off were found to be conducting gambling activities under the guise of convenience stores, coffee shops, bookstores and shops selling communication equipment.
“The owners of these businesses, like I said earlier, will be handed over to the local authorities. We will make sure that they are blacklisted (so that) in their next application, they are not allowed to do business.
“There are premises that we have cut off the power supply today which we have raided three or four times before and found that gambling activities are still being repeated.
“So, we hope disconnecting the electricity supply will give a strong message to these gambling syndicates,” he told reporters after having TNB cut off power supply around Taman Daya, near here, today.
Apart from that, Ayob Khan hopes that TNB can investigate further the premises that were found to be making illegal electricity connections.
He said from the 392 premises police had applied to TNB to have the electricity supply cut, a total of 146 premises had their power supply cut throughout Johor today.
Ayob Khan said the action was taken under Section 21A (1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.
He said in the past two months, the Johor police had conducted 695 raids and arrested 1,018 individuals related to various illegal gambling activities. — Bernama
