14 Bangladeshi trafficking victims rescued in Malaysia

Fourteen Bangladeshi nationals were rescued during a raid which crippled a human trafficking syndicate in Ampang near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, reports The Star Online.

Malaysia Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said following a tip-off, a Special Operations Intelligence Division team raided a house in the area at 5am on Thursday.

He said the 14 were believed to have been victimised by three other Bangladeshi men who were agents.

The trio, who were in the house, were arrested.

“The team found all the victims cramped into two rooms,” Mustafar said in a statement.

Officers also seized 20 mobile phones belonging to the victims and RM28,500 (S$9,100) kept by one of the agents.

Mustafar said the agents would hold their victims until they received a cash offer.

“We believe the syndicate was linked with a migrant smuggling syndicate that was busted last December.

“We expect to uncover more such syndicates as a result of these arrests,” he said.

The department would co-operate with neighbouring countries and other enforcement agencies to curb migrant smuggling syndicates at the international level, he added.

Mustafar said from 2014 till June, 99 cases of human trafficking and smuggling were tracked and crippled.

Of these, he said the cases involved sex services (41 cases), forced labour (27) and migrant smuggling (31).