© Provided by Free Malaysia Today Asri Hamid met then IGP Hamid Bador at the latter’s office in 2020 to discuss illegal gambling dens. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: The man who made headlines three years ago for exposing gambling dens in Sungai Buloh wants to see the “towkays” (operators) of these establishments prosecuted, after Bukit Aman’s vow to get tough on the menace.
Asri Hamid, 45, said after his expose three years ago, police had raided hundreds of gambling dens but not a single charge was brought against the masterminds.
“We saw that the premises’ electricity was cut off, and they were temporarily closed, but the ‘towkays’ were not arrested or charged,” he told FMT.
He was reacting to a warning by Bukit Aman CID director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay to district police chiefs that stern action would be taken if they failed to act on gambling activities in their respective districts.
Ayob had earlier revealed that there were police chiefs who felt uneasy when a task force from Bukit Aman was deployed to carry out operations against gambling premises in their districts.
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Asri urged Ayob to clarify what kind of action would be taken against the district police chiefs who did not carry out their duties.
Lauding Ayob for his firm stance, Asri said the public had high hopes in the former Johor police chief and that it was time for him to show he was a “war general”.
At the same time, Asri suggested the police come up with a dedicated mobile application for the public to report illegal gambling activities.
In 2020, Asri exposed several illegal gambling premises in Sungai Buloh through a series of videos. The expose had led then Inspector-General of Police Hamid Bador to invite him to discuss the issue.
He said his decision to expose these gambling dens had been triggered by local authorities who seized his burger stall but allegedly did nothing about the illegal activities in the area.