KLANG: The Immigration Department rescued five foreign women, believed to be victims of forced labour, during a raid at a house in Klang two days ago.
Kosmo! reported that the group, comprising four Indian nationals and an Indonesian aged between 32 and 47, fell prey to an unregistered and unlicensed domestic worker agent who exploited them.
The Immigration Department said the women were promised legitimate jobs as domestic workers in the country.
However, initial investigations revealed that the agent orchestrated human trafficking activities, using the house as a transit location before supplying the victims to employers.
"The agent's modus operandi involved recruiting foreign nationals from India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, promising them employment with all expenses covered.
"This strategy left the victims indebted and forced them to repay costs and additional fees through salary deductions," said the department in a press release issued yesterday.
During the operation, officers discovered that the Indian women were hidden in a toilet to evade detection.
The victims had reportedly been confined in the house for nearly three weeks while awaiting placement with new employers.
Authorities also found several passports belonging to other individuals in one of the rooms during the raid.
Investigations revealed that the victims had been promised monthly earnings between RM1,300 and RM1,500, with their salaries being deducted to cover visa expenses.
"Most of them had been working in Malaysia for the past two years and still did not possess valid Temporary Work Visit Passes (PLKS) or the employment contracts as promised," it added.
The department said the operation utilised guidelines for identifying human trafficking victims in accordance with the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators 2.0.