KUALA LUMPUR: Police have crippled an international football gambling syndicate which used a trading company as a front and collected RM19mil a month from China and Europe.

Sixteen people, aged between 20 and 30, including five women were arrested during a raid at 2.40pm yesterday. Forty computers and a laptop were also seized.

Federal CID principal assistant director (detention) Senior Asst Comm II Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof said three officers had posed as businessmen planning to invest in the company.

After a period of surveillance, the police raided the company, registered as a trading company, which had been operating at a posh office lot in Mid-Valley since last August, he said.

“We have identified two local women as directors of the company and we would be questioning them on the illegal activities,” he said.

He said the company’s server was located in Gibraltar and the bets were deposited into a bank here in pound sterling and yuan.

“We estimate that the syndicate has been receiving bets averaging RM3.5mil from China and RM15mil from several countries in Europe monthly,” he said.

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