KOTA BARU: Two men who were abducted and held as collateral for debts linked to a drug trafficking and migrant smuggling syndicate amounting to about RM33,000 were found safe in Thailand two days later.
Kelantan police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the victims, aged 51 and 35, were kidnapped in separate incidents in Tumpat and Pasir Mas on June 6 before being taken into Thailand through illegal border crossings.
According to him, Thai authorities found the victims on June 8 after they were abandoned by their captors at a roadside location in Mundok, Thailand, before handing them over to the Royal Malaysia Police.
He said investigations found that the abductions were linked to debts involving drug trafficking and migrant smuggling activities, although the victims were not the actual debtors.
"The debtors were not the victims. They were taken as collateral to pressure those who owed money to the syndicate. We believe the debts are linked to drug trafficking and migrant smuggling activities into the country," he told reporters after the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters monthly assembly here Monday (June 15).
Comm Mohd Yusoff said police had identified two individuals believed to have information related to the case, namely Hamzah Mohamed, known as "Mejah", and Mohamad Syamsul Azroy Che Anuar, also known as "Mamat", who are believed to be in Thailand.
He said five individuals, including a woman, had been remanded until June 22 to assist in the investigation, while police were seeking assistance from Thai authorities and Interpol to track down the two individuals.
Meanwhile, Comm Mohd Yusoff said police had solved four cable theft cases involving the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Kelantan this year, with losses estimated at about RM50,000, following the arrest of two local men last month.
The suspects, aged between their 20s and 30s, are believed to have been involved in all the incidents, which were allegedly carried out by a local syndicate that took advantage of the fact that the electrical system along the ECRL alignment has yet to become fully operational.
"They are believed to have been active since February. Each case involved the theft of cables and other equipment containing copper," he added. - Bernama
