Human trafficking racket crippled

Dept arrests two suspects and rescues five women in raids

BUTTERWORTH: The Immigration Department has busted a human trafficking ring with the arrest of two main suspects and rescued five Indonesian women.

Penang Immigration director Meor Hezbullah Meor Abd Malik said its enforcement division conducted an operation on Tuesday at 7.30am following a month-long surveillance.

A 37-year-old female suspect with two Indonesian women was detained in the swoop.

“With the arrest of the first suspect, police conducted a search in three residential premises here and rescued another three Indonesian women believed to have been involved in activities connected to the suspect.

“In a follow-up operation that same day, the raiding party picked up a male suspect, 48, at a house in Sungai Petani, Kedah,” Meor Hezbullah told a press conference at the state Immigration Department in Seberang Jaya yesterday.

He said they recovered six copies of Indonesian passports, cash amounting to RM465, cars and other items during a search of both the suspects’ houses.

Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate raked in RM10,000 to RM15,000 per month and is believed to have been active over the last two years.

He said the syndicate kept the victims at a location in Sungai Petani upon their arrival in the country, adding that the syndicate members threatened to destroy their travel documents if they tried to escape.

“The victims were lured into the country with promises of good salaries and incentives.

“All five victims claimed that they did not receive salaries, and their movements and contact with family members were restricted,” Meor Hezbullah said.

He said the victims and suspects were being investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Amended 2010), Anti-Money Laundering Act, Anti-Terrorism Financing Act and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (Amla) 2001 (Act 613).

An Interim Protection Order for the victims and a remand order under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for the suspects were obtained from the court yesterday.

In a separate incident, the enforcement division raided a premises in Rangoon Road on Penang island on Monday night and detained seven women allegedly involved in vice activities.

The suspects, who are in their 20s and 30s, are from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

Four customers who were in the room with the suspects were also brought to the department to assist in investigations.