KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department rescued six Bangladeshi men believed to be victims of human trafficking during an operation at a shophouse in Klang Sentral, Klang, yesterday afternoon.
In a statement, the department reported that during the 3.54 pm raid, the Intelligence and Special Operations Division from the Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya also apprehended a 30-year-old Bangladeshi man suspected of acting as the premises' caretaker.
"During the raid, the suspect attempted to flee through a window in one of the rooms - leading to a brief struggle with immigration officers - but failed to escape.
"The suspect has been detained under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and is currently held at the Shah Alam district police headquarters lockup in Selangor," according to the statement.
Investigations showed that all the victims were brought in as tourists, each charged RM15,000, with the syndicate managing all their passports, visas, and flight arrangements.
According to the statement, the victims were subsequently housed in the shop, which served as a transit home, and those wishing to leave were required to pay an additional RM5,000 each.
Following the arrests, seven Bangladeshi passports and seven mobile phones were seized, and all victims, aged between 18 and 41, were taken to a shelter in Tanjung Kling, Melaka, for further action.