PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has arrested over a dozen illegal immigrants in a house in Banting.
Immigration deputy director-general (operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said the raid was conducted on Feb 22 after three weeks of intelligence gathering.
He said the team arrested a 36-year-old Indonesian man believed to be the transporter for the human trafficking syndicate.
"The team also inspected the residence and detained 15 more Indonesian nationals comprising 11 men, three women and one child aged from one to 46 years old.
"Preliminary checks found that they had overstayed," he said, adding that the team seized six Indonesian passports, one mobile phone and a car.
He said the syndicate used the house as a transit point for migrants leaving Malaysia through unauthorised routes around Pantai Morib.
He said the syndicate had been active for one month and targeted Indonesian nationals wishing to return to home after committing immigration offences.
"They charged each person RM1,500," he said.
