PASIR MAS: A married couple's report of a robbery by foreign nationals backfired when police uncovered that they were actually harbouring illegal immigrants.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Kama Azural Mohamed said the husband, a Myanmar national, filed a police report claiming they were robbed in Kampung Batu Karang at 10.23pm last night.
According to the report, the victims were allegedly robbed by six unidentified individuals, including five men and one woman, who were masked and armed with a knife.
"One of the suspects reportedly pointed a knife at his eight-month-old child and demanded RM10,000 before fleeing the scene.
"Later that same day, police arrested three of the six suspects, also Myanmar nationals aged 18 to 25, who were found injured, believed to have been beaten.
"Investigation revealed discrepancies in the complainant's report. The arrested suspects claimed that the complainant and his sister were using their residence as a shelter for illegal immigrants," he said in a press statement today.
Kama added that the three suspects admitted they could not pay the amount demanded by the complainant before deciding to flee with three other illegal immigrants.
"Police also searched the complainant's residence and found items and bags belonging to the illegal immigrants inside the house.
"The complainant, his wife, and his sister were detained for further investigation, with the case being investigated under Section 26H of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007."
He advised the public not to make false reports for personal interests, as this may mislead authorities and hamper fair and transparent investigations.
Kama also reminded the public not to take matters into their own hands but to leave the actions to the police.