Escapees broke out of immigration depot using bare hands - DG

No tools were used by the escapees when breaking out of the Sungai Bakap Temporary Immigration Detention Depot in Kedah.

Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud when contacted by Bernama said all the foreign inmates escaped by breaking the doors and the barrier grills using brute force.

"They only used their bare hands,” he said when asked to comment if the inmates had used any kind of tools to escape the depot.”

He said the depot, which was leased last year with a capacity of up to 700 detainees, was tightly controlled by the department and the Malaysian Volunteers Corps Department (Rela).

Khairul Dzaimee also said 61 Immigration personnel and 45 Rela staff had been assigned to guard the depot with another 15 personnel being put on standby at every shift rotation.

Earlier this morning, 528 inmates fled the Sungai Bakap temporary Immigration depot. There were 664 inmates at the centre at the time.

A total of 357 inmates were recaptured including six who were killed when they were crossing the highway at Kilometer 168 of the Plus highway southbound near Jawi.

- Bernama