IPOH: Police rescued 26 foreigners who were victims of forced labor in Hutang Melintang, Bagan Datuk, on Tuesday.
Perak police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said police conducted a raid on a locked building in Kampung Seri Perkasa at 1.30am.
Azizi said that during further checks, police found a 52-year-old local man and a 35-year-old Bangladeshi tasked with looking after the foreigners, 24 of whom were from Bangladesh and two from India.
"We found these foreigners aged between 22 and 51 locked inside the building. We believe they are victims of forced labor and were not paid.
"All victims were taken to the Bagan Datuk district police headquarters for further investigation.
"Based on the investigation, police arrested another local man, aged 32, whom we believe was also involved in human trafficking activity," he said.
He added that all the foreigners had stayed in the building for eight days and were working on a nearby farm.
The case is being investigated under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007.