TATAU, July 19 — Six individuals were arrested for suspected involvement in illegal cockfighting activities and violating the standard operating procedure (SOP) under the National Recovery Plan (NRP) in Tatau yesterday.
Tatau police chief DSP Jame Reis said the four men and two women aged between 40 and 60, were detained during an operation at Ulu Selitut Jalan Tatau-Bintulu at around 2pm.
They were detained by the Tatau police criminal investigation division (CID) task force team led by Insp Abdul Aziz Abdul Hamid.
“During the raid, it was found that six individuals who were local residents were gathering in the area and the swift action by the police managed to prevent them from escaping,” he said.
Besides being fined RM2,000 each for violating the SOP under NRP, the suspects are also being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1962.
Police also seized live and dead cockerels, gambling paraphernalia related to cockfighting and RM3,068 in cash from the suspects
Jame said the police and other enforcement agencies will be closely monitoring the SOP compliance among the residents.
“It is because non-compliance to the existing SOP will not only expose oneself but also others to the Covid-19 infection,” he added.
Jame said such operations would be intensified from time to time to ensure a high level of compliance among the people in effort to curb the spread of the virus. — Borneo Post Online
