Malaysian man caught trying to leave Singapore illegally by hiding in lorry

ICA officers found a man hiding inside the cargo compartment of the lorry without any travel documents. - Photo: Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

SINGAPORE: A Malaysian man was found trying to illegally depart Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint by hiding in the cargo compartment of a lorry on Friday (July 19).

Mohamad Izuwan, 32, and his accomplice, Ramesh Munusamy, a 44-year-old Malaysian lorry driver, were arrested on July 19, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said. Both men were charged in court on July 20.

On July 19, ICA officers stopped and directed a Malaysia-registered lorry that was departing Singapore for further checks at about 12pm.

During their checks, they found a man hiding inside the cargo compartment of the lorry without any travel documents.

According to court documents, Mohamad was charged with failing to present his Malaysian passport to ICA officers before departing Singapore, while Ramesh was charged with abetting Mohamad to leave Singapore by allowing him to hide in the cargo compartment of his lorry.

ICA said it takes a serious view of those who try to enter or depart Singapore illegally and it will not hesitate to prosecute offenders for such cases.

Under the Immigration Act, those found guilty of illegal entry can be jailed for up to six months and receive a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

Those found guilty of illegal departure can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

Those found guilty of engaging in the business of conveying prohibited immigrants out of Singapore can be jailed between two and five years, and receive a minimum of three strokes of the cane.

The vehicles used in such offences can also be forfeited.

Commander of Tuas Checkpoint Leong Mun Cheong said: “ICA will continue to maintain vigilance and conduct security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands.”

In 2023, 587 immigration offenders were arrested, up from 414 in 2022. Among these offenders, 542 were overstayers. - The Straits Times/ANN