PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department detained a man for allegedly acting as a 'carrier' to bring foreigners into the country illegally through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 on MOnday (Dec 1).
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the man was caught trying to bring in a male citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis, along with a female national from China.
He said the arrest came after two weeks of intelligence gathering on activities believed to have been ongoing for the past three months.
"The operation began at 6.40pm and involved a team of officers of various ranks from the Intelligence and Special Operations Division of the Immigration Headquarters, in cooperation with the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS)," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 2).
Zakaria said the suspect was believed to have taken the migrants to a specific immigration counter and provided instructions on how to bypass checks.
"The 'carrier' instructed the migrants on the course to take to the 'pre-arranged' counter, along with sketches or images of its location," he said.
He said authorities believe that the Immigration inspection counter officers were also involved in the scheme.
The officers involved were notified in advance of the migrants' arrival via WhatsApp, and the carrier provided photos of the migrants' clothing to help identify which individuals should be allowed entry.
"The 'carrier' observed the movement of the migrants from a distance as they cleared Immigration procedures, before he (carrier) proceeded to another Immigration counter.
"The 'carrier' and the migrants would then reunite at the arrival hall exit and leave KLIA2 together. The 'carrier' used only hand signals to communicate with the migrants to avoid detection", he said.
The 'carrier' and two foreign nationals, aged 25 to 34, were detained on suspicion of offences under Section 12(1)(f) and Section 56(1A)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The department seized a Chinese passport, a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport, a Malaysian passport, an immigration security stamp, mobile phones, and RM23,100 in cash.
Zakaria added that three men and one woman, all Malaysians, were issued notices to appear and assist with the investigation. – Bernama
