PETALING JAYA: The immigration department has busted a human trafficking syndicate in a special operation in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, on Saturday, arresting six foreigners in the process.
Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said the men were aged 24 to 35.
The syndicate came to light thanks to public tip-offs, Bernama reported.
After gathering intelligence for three weeks, Ruslin said immigration officers encountered one of the suspects as he was driving a Proton Wira two days ago.
“The suspect sped off when he realised the presence of the operations team, but he was intercepted and arrested at the Kota Bharu express bus terminal later.
“This resulted in the arrest of two men suspected of being the transporter and ‘assistant’, along with two other men who were being taken to Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a statement.
After interrogating the four suspects, officers raided multiple houses in Kota Bharu and detained two more foreigners who were also believed to be bound for KL.
Four of the suspects possessed United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards while the remaining two did not possess valid travel documents.
“The syndicate’s modus operandi involves smuggling migrants into the country through illegal routes at the Thai border. They hide the migrants in transit houses before transporting them to KL by express buses, accompanied by a fellow foreigner from the capital.
“Newly arrived migrants are given fake UNHCR documents to mislead the authorities and are charged RM500 each for transport to KL and RM100 for transport around Kota Bharu,” he said.
The department seized two fake UNHCR cards, RM2,000 in cash and the Proton Wira, which was suspected to have been used to transport migrants.
Ruslin said three of the suspects are being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, while the other three are being investigated under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. - FMT
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