MBABANE – Investigations by Interpol and a police attaché based in South Africa link the suspects arrested in an illegal online gambling crackdown to a sophisticated transnational fraud syndicate.
Operating from premises within the kingdom, the group targeted victims in Brazil and Indonesia.
The revelations are contained in court papers filed in support of a preservation application under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), where the State seeks to preserve assets allegedly linked to the operation.
The latest findings significantly expand the scope of the case, which initially emerged following police raids at Castle Hotel, Umushi Wenkosazane Resort and other locations earlier this year, where hundreds of electronic devices, foreign nationals, cash in various currencies and luxury vehicles were seized.
According to the affidavit, Chung-Wei Lu, also known as Oakley Lu, a Police Attaché and Third Secretary of the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa, was requested to assist local investigators in analysing documents seized during the raids. The documents were reportedly written in Chinese and Portuguese and required translation before investigators could establish the nature of the operation.
Following his analysis, the attaché concluded that the operation was not merely an online gambling enterprise but a large-scale transnational telecommunications fraud syndicate commonly referred to as a scam call centre.
The affidavit states that evidence seized by police allegedly showed that the organisation systematically targeted citizens in Brazil and Indonesia. Victims were allegedly deceived through elaborate schemes in which syndicate members impersonated law enforcement officers and government officials.
Investigators recovered detailed fraud scripts instructing operators on how to accuse victims of offences such as money laundering and insurance fraud. The scripts allegedly directed operators to isolate victims from family members and legal advisers while intensifying psychological pressure.
Police also recovered forged official documents purporting to originate from Brazilian law enforcement authorities. According to the affidavit, the documents cited provisions of the Brazilian Penal Code to create the impression that victims were under official investigation.
The investigation further uncovered databases containing personal details of thousands of Indonesian citizens, including names, contact numbers and residential addresses. Civil servants were reportedly among the primary targets.
Also recovered were training manuals used to coach employees on psychological manipulation techniques, handling objections from victims and extracting information relating to finances and assets.
Operational diaries allegedly tracked the progress of scams and assessed how susceptible individual victims were to manipulation.
According to the attaché, the syndicate relied on specialised technological infrastructure, including voice over internet protocol systems and virtual private networks, enabling calls to be routed internationally while disguising their origin.
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Rolexes, cash, luxury items in POCA net
MBABANE – Two luxury Rolex watches allegedly linked to suspected online gambling kingpin Lyu Tao are among a long list of assets the State wanted preserved under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
The Rolex watches, according to the State, are valued at E1 million.
The watches feature prominently in court papers filed by investigators seeking to preserve property allegedly acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the affidavit, the watches were found inside a locked black safe that investigators say was linked to Tao Lyu.
Police allege that after the suspect declined to open the safe, investigators enlisted a technician who used a drilling machine to gain access to it while witnesses and police officers looked on.
Inside the safe, police reportedly found two silver-and-gold Rolex watches, Chinese identity documents and a luxury Fleeto clutch bag containing cash from several countries.
Investigators describe the watches as Rolex Submariner Date models and argue that they are disproportionate to any known legitimate source of income attributable to the suspect. The affidavit states that police conducted what they describe as a lifestyle audit but could not identify lawful income streams capable of funding such purchases.
The State alleges that the watches were purchased using illicitly generated funds arising from the alleged online gambling and fraud enterprise.
Apart from the Rolexes, police also seized an Omega Seamaster Diver watch valued at about R270 000 from one of the rooms occupied by foreign nationals at Umushi Wenkosazane Resort. The affidavit states that the occupant could not satisfactorily explain its acquisition or source of funding.
The preservation application extends well beyond luxury watches.
Among the items listed are hundreds of smartphones, laptops, desktop computers, monitors, gaming keyboards, CPUs, routers and internet equipment allegedly used in the operation.
Several vehicles are also targeted, including a Range Rover, BMW, Volkswagen vehicles and a Toyota Fortuner. Investigators allege that some of the vehicles were registered through associates while being used for the benefit of the alleged kingpin.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
