Perak police dismantle 'Mushroom' lottery syndicate, arrest 4
IPOH: A syndicate involved in the illegal sale of public lottery tickets in the city has been dismantled following the arrest of four individuals — including a woman — in three separate raids yesterday.
Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said those arrested during the raids on three houses, which served as "counting centres" for the proceeds of the illegal lottery, were aged between 50 and 70.
He said that investigations showed all three premises were managed by gambling agents directly linked to the syndicate, known as the "Mushroom" syndicate, believed to have been active since 2020.
"It is believed the agents used these houses as counting centres for the lottery proceeds, with collections from the three locations estimated to total RM5 million monthly," he said at a press conference at the Perak police headquarters today.
Noor Hisam said that each agent was allocated a monthly credit limit — or betting pool — of RM4 million by the syndicate to manage bets for that month.
"If there was a winner, the syndicate would pay out from the RM4 million pool. If there were no winners, the amount would roll over to the following month.
"Police have also identified several sub-agents, agents, and syndicate organisers still operating in Ipoh. We will continue to take firm action to completely dismantle this network," he said.
The raids, carried out simultaneously by officers from the D7 Division of the Perak Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the CID units from district police headquarters, followed public tip-offs and intelligence gathering.
Several items were seized during the raids, including two desktop computers, five mobile phones, four credit cards, four debit cards, four notebooks, 10 slips of illegal lottery tickets, and RM110,119 in cash.
"We are still tracking additional areas targeted by the syndicate, as we believe they have extended their operations to other residential zones.
"We suspect a 'big boss' or financier is orchestrating these activities, supported by mobile sub-agents.
"Unlike the past, when records were written by hand, operations are now conducted via applications, making it more challenging for us to secure evidence," he added.
The case is being investigated under Section 4A(a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which carries a maximum fine of RM200,000 or up to five years' imprisonment upon conviction.
In a separate matter, Noor Hisam said Perak CID had arrested 119 individuals in 87 raids under Op Mega Cantas Khas between 21 and 26 April 2025.
The special operation, involving the D4, D7, D9 divisions, and district-level CID teams, targeted a range of criminal activities including 13 cases of violent crime, 24 cases of property crime, and 50 non-index offences.
"In total, we screened and documented 1,180 individuals — including men and women, both locals and foreigners," he said.
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