KOTA BHARU: The 9th Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) arrested 18 illegal Myanmar immigrants on suspicion of entering Malaysia illegally at Jalan Bunut Sarang Burung, Tumpat yesterday.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said upon receiving information on the activity, all the immigrants were detained while travelling in a van driven by one of the two local men.
“During surveillance at 7.15 pm, PGA9 personnel spotted a suspicious van heading towards Jalan Pak Keral. The van was stopped in front of a school with the police.
“When the van was stopped, the two men tried to escape. However, one of them was arrested after a scuffle while the other suspect escaped into the nearby bushes,” he said in a statement today.
Muhamad Zaki said during the inspection, police found 13 men and five women, all Myanmar nationals who did not have any valid identification documents.
“The illegal immigrants are suspected of having entered this country from Thailand via an unregistered route. The suspects and seized vehicle were handed over to Kuala Jambu police station for further action, he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrant Act 2007 and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. - Bernama
