KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department has successfully foiled an attempt by a syndicate to smuggle Rohingya into the country with the arrest of six individuals.
In the 7.57am raid, all the individuals, who were Rohingya aged between 24 and 35, were detained by the department's Intelligence and Special Operations Division Special Tactical Team (Pastak) at the Kota Baru Express Bus Terminal in Kelantan.
Immigration Department director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said the raid was conducted following public complaints and a three-week intelligence operation.
He said the team that was dispatched encountered a car being driven suspiciously, and sped off as soon as they realised the team's presence.
"The vehicle was successfully stopped at the Kota Baru Express Bus Terminal, and during the inspection, two Rohingya men suspected to be the transporter and his assistant were detained.
"With them were two other Rohingya men suspected to be on their way to Kuala Lumpur," he said in a statement today.
He added that their arrest led to a raid on a residence in Kota Baru where two more men suspected to be on their way to Kuala Lumpur were also detained.
Ruslin said checks revealed that four of the men had United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards, while the other two did not possess any travel documents or valid passes.
The team also seized two UNHCR cards suspected to be fake, RM2,000 in cash, and the car used to transport the illegal immigrants.
"The syndicate's modus operandi was to smuggle Rohingya immigrants into the country through illegal border routes and place them in transit houses before transporting them to Kuala Lumpur using express buses, accompanied by a Rohingya man who would come from Kuala Lumpur.
"Those who had just entered would be given suspected fake UNHCR documents to deceive the authorities.
"The syndicate charges RM500 per person for transportation to Kuala Lumpur and RM100 for transportation within Kota Baru," he added.
He said that the syndicate had been operating for about a year and the case was being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007, and Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The six are being held at the Tanah Merah Immigration Detention Depot, Kelantan.