GEORGE TOWN (May 2): A total of four entertainment centre owners and 45 patrons were fined a total of RM325,000 for violating the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in several raids carried out here and in Bukit Mertajam early morning today.
In the raids, conducted separately by the Timur Laut and Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district police headquarters, all suspects were found at entertainment centres and not complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) stipulated under CMCO.
Timur Laut district police chief ACP Soffian Santong said his team raided two entertainment centres at Lebuh Pantai here at 1am, and issued RM5,000 compounds per person to 26 patrons, aged 20s to 40s.
“While the two owners of the premises, both in their 40s, who operated the business in secret to avoid being detected by authorities, were compounded RM25,000 each, and both premises were ordered to be closed immediately.
“Meanwhile, in a 3.30am raid at another entertainment centre at Jalan Dato Keramat, the premises found to be in operation, but there were no customers inside, believed to have fled upon realising the police’s presence. The owner was slapped with a RM25,000 compound,” he said when contacted today.
In Bukit Mertajam, SPT district police chief ACP Shafee Abd Samad said that 20 men, including the owner, were compounded at an entertainment centre at Jalan Icon City here during the 3.30am raid.
He said that during the raid, the suspects, aged 19 to 44, were found drunk, and preliminary investigations revealed all of them were acquaintances.
“Each visitor was compounded RM5,000, while the owner was compounded RM25,000,” he said, adding that the premises were also ordered to be shut down.
