KOTA TINGGI: Police uncovered a human trafficking syndicate with the arrest of a transit house caretaker and 12 migrants, including two women, in Felda Gugusan Adela, near here, today.
District police chief Superintendent Hussin Zamora said following prior surveillance and intelligence-gathering, the police raiding team comprising its Intelligence Operation Division and Criminal Investigation Department detectives raided the wooden shack, which was converted into a transit house and made the 1.30am arrests.
The 39-year-old local caretaker, 10 men and two women aged between 20 and 46, were arrested without much struggle.
Investigations revealed that the local man who played the role of caretaker allegedly confessed that the shack was the transit point for the migrants before they made their way back to their respective countries.
Hussin said the traffickers charged between RM2,800 and RM3,000 per person, which was paid to a boatman, locally known as "Tekong".
The fee was charged to facilitate the safe return of undocumented migrants to their home countries through unauthorized sea routes, allowing them to evade legal scrutiny and enforcement.
The local man and migrants were detained under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007 (ATIPSOM), the Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 to facilitate investigations.
Under Section 26A of the ATIPSOM, the perpetrator could face up to a 15-year imprisonment term, a fine or both, while under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act, those convicted could face imprisonment not less than three months, and not exceeding two years, and canning.
Hussin urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities related to human trafficking or migrant smuggling to aid in their ongoing efforts to combat these illicit practices.