MANJUNG: Police will not expand the search radius for the remaining 75 illegal immigrants who escaped from the Bidor Temporary Immigration Depot, as they are still in the Tapah district.
Perak police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said that based on the interrogation of all illegal immigrants who have been recaptured, the rest of their "friends" had not left Tapah.
"When we interrogated the re-arrested illegal immigrants, they revealed their 'friends' were still in Tapah district.
"As I said before, they escaped without any supplies and are just relying on the public's help."
He said this in a press conference after attending the Road Safety Awareness Programme held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration at WCE's Lekir Toll Plaza here, today.
He added that the operation to track and capture the remaining escapees would only be carried out in Bidor, Tapah, and remote areas such as palm oil plantations and small forests.
"I also want to thank the villagers in Tapah and Bidor who helped the police track down and arrest the escapees," he said.
Earlier, Yusri revealed in a press statement that out of 131 detainees who escaped from the depot, 54 of them have been arrested so far and two were killed in road accidents.
On Friday, police confirmed that 131 illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Rohingya ethnics escaped from the depot.
Tapah district police chief Superintendent Mohd Naim Asnawi said that there was a riot inside the male block depot, and all the detainees managed to flee the facility.