JOHOR BARU: Police arrested 16 Indonesian nationals and a local man last Monday (March 2) in a crackdown on migrant smuggling, following raids at three separate locations around Tanjung Kupang and Taman Ehsan Jaya near Iskandar Puteri.
Iskandar Puteri OCPD Asst Comm M. Kumarasan said the first raid took place between 1.30pm and 2.30pm at a house in Tanjung Kupang.
He said that in the raid, police arrested an Indonesian man believed to be a "tekong darat" or transporter, along with two other Indonesians who were acting as caretakers of the house.
Four Indonesian migrants, comprising two men and two women, were also detained during the operation," he said in a statement.
According to ACP Kumarasan, follow-up arrests were made at about 4pm in the Taman Ehsan Jaya area, where police detained a local man suspected of being a "tekong darat," along with three migrants comprising two men and one woman.
Kumarasan said confirmed that the detainees, aged 21 to 60, tested negative for drugs, while all the foreigners were found to be without valid travel documents.
He said that during the raids, police also seized nine mobile phones, a vehicle, and cash amounting to RM7,800.
Meanwhile, Kumarasan said that in a separate operation on the same day, police arrested an Indonesian man acting as a "tekong darat" during a raid in front of an apartment in Tanjung Kupang.
He said that an Indonesian woman, who was acting as a "tekong darat" assistant, was also arrested along with four migrants, comprising two men and two women.
According to him, the investigation found that all individuals, aged between 23 and 40, who tested negative for drugs did not possess valid travel documents.
"Two mobile phones, a vehicle and cash totalling RM14,000 were also seized in the raid," he said.
Kumarasan said the case was being investigated under Section 51(5)(b) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, Section 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 and Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007. - Bernama
