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A smuggling syndicate that turned luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur into temporary transit homes for undocumented migrants has been crippled after immigration officers detained 10 Bangladeshi nationals
According to the New Straits Times, the Immigration Department carried out a special operation at Cap Square Centre at about 12.30am on Tuesday, 7 July, following public tip-offs and a month of intelligence gathering.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the syndicate's modus operandi was to use luxury residential units as temporary shelters for foreigners believed to have entered Malaysia through illegal entry points before sending them to their intended destinations.
He said two Bangladeshi men were believed to be acting as caretakers and guards of the premises, managing the temporary accommodation until payments were settled, Bernama reported.
The syndicate allegedly charged between RM700 and RM1,500 per person and is believed to have been operating for several months
Authorities also detained six Bangladeshi men and two Bangladeshi women aged between 23 and 43 during the raid, according to the New Straits Times.
Initial checks found that one of the men possessed a Temporary Employment Visit Pass for the construction sector.
Meanwhile, the two women had previously been blacklisted by the Immigration Department but were suspected of re-entering Malaysia through illegal routes.
The remaining detainees did not have valid travel documents or passes, according to Bernama.
Officers also seized three Bangladeshi passports belonging to other individuals and RM1,595 in cash, which investigators believe were proceeds from the alleged smuggling activities.
The two suspected caretakers are being investigated under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the remaining detainees are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the same Act.
In a separate operation on the same day, immigration officers arrested a local man suspected of acting as a transporter
He was arrested along with four Indian migrants during raids around Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) and Terminal Bersepadu Gombak.
The investigators believe this syndicate has been operating since last year, allegedly bringing foreign nationals, particularly from the South Asian country, into Malaysia through illegal routes before arranging for transporters to collect them from bus terminals and send them to their destinations.
Authorities said the syndicate allegedly charged RM6,000 for each person smuggled into the country.
Initial checks found that one of the detained Indian migrants had previously been blacklisted but was suspected of re-entering Malaysia without using an authorised entry point.
During the operation, officers seized two mobile phones, four Indian passports, and a Perodua Bezza believed to have been used in the smuggling activities.
The suspected local transporter is being investigated under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007, while the four Indian migrants are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
All those detained were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further investigation.
