KUANTAN: The police have detained a man who allegedly trafficked in three Indian nationals for forced labour at an oil palm plantation in Kuala Lipis, near here.
Lipis District Police chief Supt Azli Mohd Noor said the 36-year-old suspect from Kuala Lipis was picked up yesterday afternoon at an eatery near the plantation.
He said the suspect was also believed to have been abusing the victims, aged between 33 and 48, by hitting, not feeding and ordering them to work overtime and without leave.
“The three men, who are all married, claimed that they entered the country, between Sept 2018 and last April, using the service of an agent in India via social visit pass. The suspect had fetched them from the KL International Airport and brought them to the plantation.
“They also claimed that the suspect had seized their passports and mobile phones as soon as they arrived and were placed at the workers’ quarters. They were paid between RM600 and not even paid at all,“ he told reporters, here today.
Azli said one of the victims also claimed that his arms were chained and he was beaten for over a month which causing injuries to his left arm.
The crime was exposed when one of the victims managed to escape and lodged a police report at Lipis District Police headquarters yesterday.
“The victims have been rescued while the suspect is being remanded for four days from today,“ he added. — Bernama
