KOTA TINGGI: Seven Indonesian men, including one believed to be a transporter, have been arrested over a suspected migrant smuggling attempt here.
Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Yusof Othman said the men were detained during a raid near a campsite at Tanjung Punggai, Bayu Damai, at about 11pm on Saturday (Aug 15).
“The raid led to the arrest of seven Indonesian men who were believed to be attempting to return to a neighbouring country through an ungazetted route.
“Further checks found that all of them failed to produce valid travel documents to stay in Malaysia,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Aug 16).
Supt Yusof said one of the seven men was believed to have acted as a transporter for the group.
“We also seized a car believed to have been used to transport the migrants,” he said, adding that the suspects and the seized vehicle were taken to the Kota Tinggi district police headquarters for further investigation.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Supt Yusof urged those with information on migrant smuggling activities to contact the nearest police station or the Kota Tinggi district police hotline at 07-883 1222.
