Depot riot: Man injured in bid to nab Rohingya escapees

BANDAR BAHARU: A man who attempted to help capture Rohingya refugees, who escaped from the Sungai Bakap Immigration detention depot near here on Wednesday (April 20), was injured on the leg after a Rohingya refugee kicked him off his motorcycle.

Relating the incident, Mohamad Ashraf Firdaus Mohd Yusof, 30, said he and several villagers tried to pursue a group of refugees to ensure the security of residents in the area.

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"In the incident yesterday morning, we were sitting in a house near the depot before a friend came to alert us that detainees have broken out of the depot.

"Five of us rode our motorcycles to chase before finding a group in an area near Sungai Rambai which is not far from the depot," he said when met by reporters here on Thursday (April 21).

According to him, the group of 10 refugees comprised men, women and children who were running to join the main group not far from the location.

He said while trying to capture a foreigner, the refugee kicked his motorcycle and he fell, causing a sprain on his leg after being crushed by the motorcycle.

Mohamad Ashraf said without thinking of the pain, he continued his bid to nab the refugees with his friends before handing over the escapees to police.

"I was a police reserve (PVR) before and therefore understand the danger involved,” he said, adding that a Rohingya woman even bit him on the left arm when he tried to detain her.

Mohamad Ashraf, who is now working as a cleansing contractor for a local authority, said some of the refugees were forced by a Rohingya man who threatened to harm them if they did not join them.

In the 4.30am incident on Wednesday, 528 Rohingya refugees escaped from the Sungai Bakap Immigration detention depot. - Bernama