KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman have busted six series of illegal races involving RM214,800 worth of bets from 2018 until last year.

       Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) director Comm Datuk Mat Kasim Karim said that in 2018, arrests at Changkat Jering on the North-South Expressway resulted in the confiscation of bets amounting to RM165,000.

       "In 2019, we got RM2,000 in bets from illegal racing on the Grand Saga Highway, while RM38,000 worth of bets was recovered in raids on the Lekas Highway in 2020.

       "Also in 2020, we recovered RM800 in bets from raids at the Kesas Highway and RM4,000 from the East Coast Highway (LPT). Raids along the Shahpadu highway, meanwhile, brought in RM5,000 that year," he said when contacted Wednesday (June 1).

       Comm Mat Kasim said the department has conducted a special operation codenamed "Ops Samseng Jalan" since April this year.

       "We have conducted 390 operations resulting in 602 arrests.

       "We have consistently conducted operations with the detection of new locations used by illegal racers," he said.

       Based on statistics, most illegal races were now focused at the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway, Kesas Highway and Federal Highway, Comm Mat Kasim said.

       "We also identified several other hotspots especially in the Klang Valley," he said.

       So far, illegal racing is not being actively conducted at the Besraya Highway, he added.

       "We are monitoring the situation every weekend and we discovered that there was no activity on the Besraya Highway while on the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway, it mostly consists of motorcycle convoys," he said.

       Comm Mat Kasim said JSPT was also in the midst of identifying workshops in cahoots with organisers of illegal racing.

       "We will work with the CID in sharing information on the matter of illegal racing as well as other criminal issues including vehicle theft," he said.

       Last year, 1,569 Ops Samseng Jalan raids were conducted resulting in 2,560 arrests nationwide.

       "We also issued 24,481 summonses and seized 3,370 motorcycles.

       "We also aim to strengthen our efforts through three series of workshops with Bukit Aman CID D14 last year where our operation intelligence unit was exposed to the use of Prevention of Crime Act (Poca)," Comm Mat Kasim said.