Depot riot: Break-out masterminds recaptured

BANDAR BAHARU: Two male detainees, believed to be among the masterminds behind the break-out by 528 Rohingya inmates at the Sungai Bakap Immigration Detention Depot on Wednesday (April 20), were recaptured on Thursday (April 21), says Comm Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad (pic).

The Kedah police chief said the arrested masterminds were a 34-year-old detainee who was moved there from the Immigration Detention Depot in Semenyih, Selangor, three years ago and a 30-year-old man.

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Police are still looking for two more masterminds of the break-out, he said.

Comm Wan Hassan identified the two as Muhammad Salim Nur Amin, 21, and Mohd Yunus, 44.

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"We have identified these four individuals as the masterminds, and we are continuing with investigations to track down the remaining escapees," he told a press conference after checking out the situation in Bukit Thorn here Friday (April 22).

Earlier, five Rohingya escapees hiding in Bukit Thorn were nabbed by the General Operations Force (GOF).

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Wan Hassan said preliminary investigations showed that the breakout was linked to claims that the inmates had been held there for too long and also overcrowding at the depot.

He said search operations involving 287 personnel from the Kedah, Penang and Perak police contingents and the police air wing, Canine Unit (K9) and GOF would continue until all the remaining escapees have been recaptured.

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As at 5pm Friday, 88 escapees comprising 71 men, nine women, one boy and seven girls are still at large.

"Today is the third day of our operations, and we believe they will start coming out of hiding due to hunger and this will make it easy for us to nab them.

"The public are advised not to harbour them as it is an offence to do so under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 216 of the Penal Code," he said.

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In the early Wednesday incident, the detainees fled the depot but six of them were killed after being hit by a car while crossing a nearby highway. - Bernama