KUALA LUMPUR: Police busted an underground poker tournament and arrested 25 men, including the tournament organiser and several college students, in a condominium at Taman Tun Dr Ismail last Saturday.
The tournament, which had just got under way, was raided by a team from the district commercial crime unit around 2.30pm.
Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said the tournament, which was being held for the first time, was organised through a website that detailed the time and venue.
“The participants registered online and banked in a fee to enter the tournament,” he said.
He said that although the tournament was organised by a local syndicate, police believed there were connections to foreign gambling syndicates.
Police also seized cash, laptops, poker tables, briefcases filled with casino chips and decks of playing cards.
ACP Wan Abdul Bari said those arrested were aged 18 to 30 and two were foreigners, including a 57-year-old Italian national who was a permanent resident here.
“The men have been remanded for a week to assist in investigations,” he told a press conference at the Brickfields police headquarters yesterday.