Unlucky bridegroom: Mohd Fairusnizam (left) questioning Mahmud during a media interview.
KLANG: Love knows no “boundaries”. That sentiment proved costly for a 31-year-old Bangladeshi man, who landed in trouble with authorities after attempting to illegally sneak back into the country from Sumatra following his recent marriage to an Indonesian woman.
The man, identified as Mahmud, 31, was among 78 undocumented migrants detained by Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) after their wooden “pom-pom” boat (flatboat) was intercepted off the Sabak Bernam coast early Friday.
Mahmud, who works at a food manufacturing factory in Johor Baru, claimed that he possessed valid travel documents and work permit but chose to leave the country illegally to get married to his “first love” in Medan, Sumatra.
“I spent about a month in Medan to get married in December including time spent with my wife before returning to Malaysia for work,” he said when questioned by Selangor MMEA deputy director (Maritime Operations) Mohd Fairusnizam Abdul Razak yesterday.
Mahmud said he resorted to illegal means of entering and leaving the country because it was difficult for Bangladeshi nationals to obtain Indonesian visas.
He added that he was also under pressure from his fiancee and her family to get married as soon as possible.
“She is my first love. Because of that, I was willing to use a syndicate to go to Indonesia to marry her,” he said, adding that he had known his wife, who worked as a maid in Johor Baru, since 2022.
He added that he paid RM1,170 to a syndicate believed to be involved with smuggling illegal migrants.
Mohd Fairusnizam said an MMEA patrol vessel intercepted the Indonesian boat about three nautical miles southwest of Sungai Air Tawar, off the Selangor coast at around 3.30am on Friday.
Based on intelligence, he said the boat had reportedly sailed from the Batu Bara fishing jetty in Sumatra, bound for the Selangor coastline.
Mohd Fairusnizam added that 78 undocumented migrants were found cramped inside the wooden vessel, comprising 49 men and 29 women aged between 14 and 60.
The boat’s skipper is believed to have abandoned the vessel when approached by the MMEA patrol boat for inspection.
Except for Mahmud, all the others detained were Indonesian nationals without proper documentation, he added.
He said the boat and the suspects were escorted to the marine police jetty in Pulau Indah, adding that the case is being investigated under the Immigration Act for illegal entry via ungazetted routes, as well as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act.
