Police bust illegal lottery syndicate, 12 people arrested

[Shin Orochi]

Police bust illegal lottery syndicate, 12 people arrested
By Lin Jia Mei, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 February 2010 2143 hrs
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="260"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right" width="20"></td> <td align="right" width="240">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="60" valign="top"></td> <td class="update" height="80" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#f6f6f6" width="138">Photos </td> <td bgcolor="#f6f6f6" width="47">1 of 1</td> <td bgcolor="#f6f6f6" width="18"><input disabled="disabled" id="btnPrev" value="<< Previous" onclick="Prev();" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/images/butt_previous.gif" height="15" type="image" width="18"></td> <td bgcolor="#f6f6f6" width="19"><input id="bntPlay" value="Play - Stop" onclick="Play()" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/images/butt_stop.gif" height="15" type="image" width="19"></td> <td bgcolor="#f6f6f6" width="18"><input disabled="disabled" id="btnNext" value=" Next >> " onclick="Next();" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/images/butt_next.gif" height="15" type="image" width="18"></td> </tr> </tbody></table>

</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td class="update"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

SINGAPORE : Twelve people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in an illegal lottery syndicate. The suspects are between the ages of 31 and 60.

They were caught after police raided a unit in a shopping complex along Beach Road on Monday. Police believe the suspects used the place to collect illegal bets.

During the raid, several items were seized, including betting records, a fax machine and about S$20,000 cash.

Preliminary investigations revealed the members of the syndicate would collect bets for a foreign lottery from punters at the unit. They would then consolidate the bets and transmit them electronically or by telephone to an overseas collection centre.

If convicted, the suspects could be fined up to S$200,000 and jailed up to five years. - CNA/ms