Six Lankans rescued from trafficking syndicate

29 June 2011 11:56 am Views - 3471

The Immigration Department raided a budget hotel at Jalan Wong Ah Fook in Malaysia and freed six Sri Lankan men from the clutches of a human-trafficking syndicate.

Johor Immigration deputy assistant director Gajendra Bahadur said acting on a tip-off, the department's officers saved the Sri Lankan men, who were confined to two rooms at the hotel, at 2.20pm Tuesday.

He said the operation was a follow-up to an investigation on an agent of a human-trafficking syndicate who was arrested recently.

The agent, a local, was believed to have collected RM5, 000 each from the Sri Lankans for job placement, Gajendra told reporters here Wednesday.

He said the immigrants entered the country legally but their passports had since expired.
"They will be held at the Tanjung Kling Depot, Malacca pending deportation to Sri Lanka," he added.

The case is being investigated under Section 44 (1) of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. - Bernama

Source: The Star Online