JOHOR BARU: The Johor Immigration Department (JIM) has arrested five Indonesian men for illegally entering the country via an uncharted sea route in Mersing.
Its director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus, said the men were arrested at 2.20am on Monday (July 1) during a joint operation between JIM and the Kota Tinggi District Police Special Branch.
“The suspects were apprehended while trying to flee into the plantation, with some hiding under the beds of a house that is used as a transit point for smuggling illegal immigrants.
“The syndicate charged RM3,000 per person and an additional RM100 for transportation to the transit house before sending them to other locations,” he said during a press conference at the Setia Tropika Home Ministry Complex here.
He added that those arrested were aged between 21 and 49 years.
“We also believed that the 49-year-old suspect was the agent in charge of bringing the illegal immigrants into the country,” he said, adding that the man was arrested under Section 55E of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for allowing illegal immigrants inside a premise.
The case is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155) for entering the country without any valid pass or permit.
