GEORGE TOWN: A total of 229 Rohingya detainees who fled the immigration detention depot in Kedah on Wednesday (April 20) morning, have been recaptured say Penang police.
State police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the fugitives were picked up after they fled towards the surrounding area near KM168 on the North-South Expressway.
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He said six of them died while crossing the road at KM168 of the North-South Expressway, in Jawi at 6.50am.
“A total of 528 out of 664 Rohingya detainees escaped from the Relau immigration depot in Bandar Baharu - on the border of between Kedah and Penang - at 4.30am.
“Another 88 people were detained by the villagers and the Immigration Department in the area not far from the depot.
“Penang police helped track down another 205 detainees ranging from children to senior citizens believed to have entered the state to escape,” he said.
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On Wednesday, a protest around 5am by around 650 Rohingya detainees, quickly turned into a riot.
It is understood that most of the Rohingya there were previously detained in operations by various agencies in Langkawi.
