43 M’sians rescued after falling victim to human traffickers
KUALA LUMPUR: They were promised good jobs in Lima, the capital of Peru, where the economy is growing.But, once in South America, they become victims of human traffickers.
They were then at the mercy of Macau Scam syndicate members who ordered them to impersonate bank or public officials to trick others into disclosing their personal banking details or transfer money into a third-party account.
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That is the story of the 43 Malaysians – 26 women and 17 men – who were rescued on Oct 7 after being held in Peru since they arrived on Sept 29.
Sources said the Malaysians had only just been forced into the operations when Peruvian authorities raided the house in La Molina in the capital Lima on Oct 7.
Base of operations: The house where 43 Malaysians were rescued during a police raid in Lima, Peru. — AFP
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Peruvian police rescued the Malaysians during the raid.
It said the Malaysian Embassy in Lima visited them and found them in good condition.
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“All the victims have undergone investigation and will be repatriated to Malaysia soon,” it said.
No further details were provided on how the Malaysians were ensnared by the syndicate or how they ended up in Peru.
No way out: Seized Malaysian passports on display from a police raid in Lima, Peru. — AFP
However, it has been reported that the 43 fell victim to a human trafficking syndicate operating a telecommunication fraud.
Activists and government officials say hundreds of Malaysians have been lured by lucrative job offers in South-East Asian nations such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, only to end up being forced to defraud online users with Internet romances and cryptocurrency schemes.
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This is the first time that a syndicate lured Malaysians to South America.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said Bukit Aman CID’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) division (D3) would interview the victims once they are back in Malaysia.
He said they would identify and track down the mastermind behind the syndicate who recruited the 43 Malaysians.
In safe hands: Migrants were rescued from a scam syndicate during a police raid in Lima, Peru. — AFP
It is learnt that authorities are also investigating the flight route of the Malaysians as well as the modus operandi used by the syndicate.
“We aim to track down the syndicate, including identifying and detaining the recruiters,” Razarudin told a press conference in Bukit Aman yesterday.
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“We will record the victims’ statements as they are witnesses. We expect them to give their full cooperation.
“We believe this is a first of incident of Malaysians being duped to work for scam syndicates in South America, he said.
“Such cases usually occur in South-East Asian countries such as Laos and Myanmar.”
Checks revealed the 43 Malaysians left the country legally, he said.
“We will check further with the Immigration Department and Wisma Putra on the matter,” the IGP added.
He said the police would also continue to educate the public on scams.
“We will step up efforts to create more awareness on scams. There are still many who fall victim to scams, especially investment scams.
“We hope the public will use the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) 997 hotline to report and get more information on scams,” he said.
