KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 71 Indonesians were detained following raids on a human-trafficking syndicate at two budget hotels in Chow Kit.
The raids were conducted by the Bukit Aman CID Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) (D3) division with assistance from the 19th Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) at about 8pm on Monday (Feb 24).
Bukit Aman D3 principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Soffian Santong said 56 men and 15 women from Indonesia were detained in the raids.
"The human smuggling syndicate used transit homes in the city for undocumented foreigners, who wished to enter and exit the country through illegal routes.
"Transporters will arrange for the travels of the foreigners from the transit homes to their destinations, including to beaches that led to illegal water routes," he said when contacted on Tuesday (Feb 25).
The Indonesians, aged between 19 and 57 years old, were detained under Section 26A dan Section 26J of the Atipsom Act 2007 as well as the Immigration Act, he said.
The focus of the operation was to uncover smuggling of migrants, which used illegal sea routes, he added.
During the raids, it was discovered that about 30 Indonesians were packed into a budget hotel room in Chow Kit.
Some of the Indonesians claimed that usually 10 to 18 of them would be given accomodation in a room while waiting for transport be it to other destinations in the country or illegal routes to Indonesia.
It is learnt that each of them were charged between RM1,500 and RM1,800 based on the price set by agents.
The syndicate would gather all "customers" at the transit homes before transporting them further.
The foreigners had to live in a cramp and room albeit temporarily.
