Woman arrested for allegedly converting her Toa Payoh flat into mahjong gambling den

A woman, who allegedly converted a bedroom in her Toa Payoh flat into an illegal mahjong gambling den, has been arrested.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, she was arrested along with four other men and women on Mar. 6 at the flat, in a raid that was accompanied by the media.

All five suspects are between the ages of 40 and 53.

Minimum bet of S$500, solicited for gamblers through Telegram

The minimum bet for the den was reportedly S$500.

The flat's owner would solicit for gamblers through Telegram, and charge admission and service fees to earn a profit.

The room itself contained an automatic mahjong table, which had mahjong tiles and poker chips on it when the arrests took place.

Two of the five suspects were also arrested in the room.

Zaobao reported that one of the two suspects, a woman in a gray sweater, answered all of the police's questions and looked at the camera of a photographer from time to time.

The other gambler, a man with a baseball cap, kept his head down and remained silent throughout the entire process.

The woman, who set up the gambling den, was seated on the sofa.

Zaobao reported that she deliberately avoided the photographer's camera.

Arrests made during a wider crackdown on illegal activities

The arrests took place during a wider crackdown on illegal activities by the Singapore Police Force, Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

The crackdown ran from Mar. 5 to Mar. 8 and took place across Toa Payoh, Novena, Bukit Timah Road, Orchard Road, Balestier Road and Selegie Road.

A total of 62 men and women, aged between 18 and 73, are being investigated.

The 26 women, between the ages of 18 and 48, were arrested in several massage parlours, commercial units and public entertainment venues for suspected violations under the Women's Charter and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Another 29 men and seven women were arrested for suspected violations related to gambling.

The age range of the suspects was from 20 to 73 and the police seized cash, chips, mobile phones and related gambling equipment from the illegal gambling dens as physical evidence.

Investigations into the arrested are ongoing.

Top photo via SPF