IPOH: The police have detained 17 local men in connection with smuggling illegal immigrants and linked to the boat capsize tragedy off the coast of Sabak Bernam in Selangor on Sept 3.
The suspects, aged between 30 and 50, and belonging to a syndicate were picked up separately a few days after the tragedy.
Perak police chief, Datuk Osman Salleh said initial investigations revealed the syndicate was believed to have gathered Indonesian illegals who wanted to return to their country before they were placed in an area near the jetty serving as transit centre.
“The migrant smuggling activities are carried out at night to avoid detection by the authorities,” he told reporters after the monthly assembly at the Perak Police headquarters here, today.
He said the syndicate had been operating in the Hutan Melintang jetty area since February until the boat capsize tragedy off the waters of Sabak Bernam.
Osman said the syndicate was masterminded by a group of Indonesian men, with the help of local residents to facilitate trafficking activities to avoid detection by the authorities.
“The income earned by the syndicate was in the region of between RM250,000 and RM300,000 a month,” he said, adding that police believed there were other syndicate members at large.
He urged the public to channel any information regarding such activities to the police.
Earlier, Osman presented the 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award to 118 policemen at the assembly.
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