PETALING JAYA: Police have crippled a human-trafficking syndicate that attempted to smuggle Sri Lankan migrants using fake passports.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador said police detained two women comprising a local and a Sri Lankan during an operation on April 30.
“The operation was conducted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). They were in the midst of escaping to a Europe country by using Malaysian passports which have been falsified.
“Following the arrests, the police initiated a follow-up operation on the same day and detained three Sri Lankan nationals and a German in various parts of Kuala Lumpur,“ he said in a statement today.
The four suspects were detained for suspected human-trafficking offence. The police further nabbed two locals and three Sri Lankan nationals in Selayang on May 2.
“From the total 11 arrests, five suspects being investigated under Security Offences Act (Special Measures) 2012 and Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007,“ said Abdul Hamid.
Abdul Hamid said the six Sri Lankan migrants will be prosecuted under Section 5(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering and leaving the country via an unauthorised point.
“With the arrests, police have crippled a human-trafficking syndicate which has been in operation since mid-last year, with a network expanding across Sri Lanka, Europe and Malaysia,“ he said.
