Gang members were arrested in operations to shut down election betting rings, including one allegedly controlled from China, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) told a news conference yesterday.
Fifty-two illicit betting pools were shut down and 67 suspects were arrested in operations so far, the CIB said.
About half of the operations CIB detected accepted wagers online and were based on social media platforms, with some transactions conducted in cryptocurrencies, bureau officials told a briefing on Wednesday.
Photo: CNA
CIB Deputy Commissioner Chiu Shao-chou (邱紹洲) gave details on a case in Changhua County, in which police began surveillance after they were notified in September of an online betting pool focused on the outcomes of January’s presidential and legislative elections.
The suspects posted adverts on Facebook with odds, payoffs and information on how to place a wager, as well as regular updates on opinion polls, Chiu said.
The suspects provided information to join a group on the Line messaging app, he said.
The suspects converted cash they received from wagers into Tether, a US dollar-linked cryptocurrency, Chiu said.
Communications and conversations showed that the operation was run from China, where an unnamed Chinese national managed accounts, he said.
The CIB conducted a raid, arresting two brothers surnamed Yeh (葉) at their home in Changhua County’s Shetou Township (社頭), Chiu said.
The brothers are suspected to be the main operators of the betting pool, running the social media accounts and adverts to attract wagers in Taiwan, then helping convert money into Tether to be transferred to an e-wallet belonging to the Chinese national, he said.
Police confiscated four mobile phones containing communication records, along with ledgers and bankbooks that showed that seven people had placed wagers totaling NT$12,000 (US$371), he said.
“A small number of people had placed bets, but the operation was shut down by police after only a month,” Chiu said.
“However, we are taking the situation seriously, because the mastermind is a Chinese national, who used cryptocurrency to hide the trail,” he said.
Chiu asked the public to report any election betting activity they encounter.
“These illegal operations are undermining our nation’s democratic elections, with financial inducements subverting the process,” he said.
People who provide information leading to a conviction are eligible for a reward of NT$5 million, while information leading to a conviction in a case involving an enemy state interfering in elections can garner a NT$20 million reward, he said.
In a separate investigation, police searched a building in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) and arrested a man surnamed Chen (陳), an alleged gang member who headed an election betting pool.
New Taipei City police investigation chief Lin Ching-lung (林敬隆) said they found long knives and baseball bats, along with 14,000 Tether coins worth about NT$4.7 million.
The operation involved investment fraud, with some of the profit used to back an election betting pool, Lin said.
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