MELAKA: Ten foreigners, including a two-year-old child, have been detained for attempting to sneak out of the country near a fisherman's jetty in Merlimau.
Jasin OCPD Deputy Supt Ahmad Jamil Radzi said the suspects, all Indonesians, comprising seven men and two women aged from 30 to 60, as well as the child, were detained at 11.30pm on Sunday (July 16).
"Villagers spotted them hiding in a mangrove area and alerted the authorities," he said on Monday (July 17).
DSP Ahmad Jamil said soldiers on patrol at the site, under the ongoing Ops Merpati special operation made the arrests.
He said police have also launched a manhunt to track a local man, believed to be the agent attempting to ferry the illegals across the maritime border.
DSP Ahmad Jamil said that based on preliminary findings, the agent charged RM1,500 for each boat trip.
"We are still probing whether the culprit is a local fisherman," he said.
He added that all those detained were handed over to the Immigration Department.
