JOHOR BARU: Police have rescued six men who were forced by a syndicate to pose as beggars for the past five years.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar said police raided at a house in Taman Tiram Baru here at around 11am on Tuesday (Dec 3).
"Police arrested two brothers, aged 47 and 54 respectively, believed to be the masterminds of the begging operation," he said in a statement on Thursday (Dec 5) night, adding that both tested positive for drug use.
Comm Kumar said police successfully rescued six men aged from 21 to 70, one of whom is a Malaysian.
He also said the two suspects have been remanded until Tuesday (Dec 10) while the victims have been placed under protection for 21 days under Section 44(2) of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2017.
"Initial police investigations found that the syndicate has been active since 2019 in Johor Baru, Seri Alam, Kulai, Ayer Hitam and Simpang Renggam," he said adding that they would claim they were seeking funds for a tahfiz for orphans in Thailand," he added.
Comm Kumar said police also seized several items including two cars, six donation boxes, four pictures of a school being built, nine mobile phones, 10 money delivery receipts, a stamp with a religious school's name and more than RM9,000 in cash.
"Police also seized a file containing 'appointment letters' for people to collect donations, falsely using the letterheads of state Islamic departments.
Comm Kumar urged the public not to be swayed by such tactics and should always check the authenticity of any documents presented before donating.
He urged the public to channel any information on criminal activities to the Johor police hotline at 07-221 2999.
