Police raid the facility of an agent of the gambling ring. They arrested Truong Ngoc Tu and 15 other suspects for their alleged involvement in the ring, with total transactions worth up to VND64 trillion – PHOTO: HANOI POLICE

Tu, 37, residing in Hanoi’s Long Bien District, was identified as one of the Tier-1 agents of the gambling ring, the police said on May 28.

The gang was busted after several raids were conducted from May 22, and 34 mobile phones, 23 ATM cards, five computers and hundreds of SIM cards were seized.

The gambling ring has been in operation since 2018, enabling gamblers to play betting games including Hoo Hey How and poker on the internet. Players could top up their accounts through agents to gain points, make bets and exchange points for money.

To lure more punters, Tu and his alleged accomplices hired many agents, ran ad campaigns and encouarged punters to download gambling apps on their mobile phones or laptops.

A preliminary investigation revealed that millions of accounts have been registered by the gambling ring, with 24 Tier-1 agents and hundreds of Tier-2 agents.

The police noted that Tu and the other suspects, including Nguyen Ngoc Trung, Nguyen Trong Tuan, Nguyen Van Toan, Khuat Vinh Quang from Hanoi and Tran Huu Hung from the north-central province of Ha Tinh, had colluded and contributed capital to buy accounts to run the ring.

Aside from creating virtual accounts online, the suspects also opened multiple bank accounts at various banks to assist with transactions, money transfers and payment activities. SGT