JOHOR BARU: Two child labourers from the Philippines have been rescued following a raid on a manufacturing factory in Senai.
Johor Immigration Department director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the children, aged 12 and 13, were among 292 people checked during the operation on Thursday.
“We found 128 foreigners, including 54 women, working in the factory illegally.
“We also found two children, a boy and a girl, who are believed to have been working for two to three months at the factory,” he said in a statement.
Mohd Rusdi said a 44-year-old man, who is the factory’s human resource officer, was detained for investigation under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act.
“Both children have been rescued and taken to the Immigration office at Setia Tropika for further action,” he added.
The raid under Ops Mahir was conducted following an arrest made in a previous operation where four foreigners admitted to working in a factory using fake Malaysian identity cards.The factory was raided after two days of investigation.
“Of the 128 foreigners arrested, five were found to be in possession of Malaysian identity cards,” said Mohd Rusdi.
The suspects are being investigated under the Immigration Act and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
The foreigners have been sent to the Immigration depot in Pekan Nenas.
The National Registration Department is also investigating the five suspects under Regulation 25 of the National Registration Regulations 1990 for possessing and using identity cards belonging to others.
In a separate operation, Mohd Rusdi said the department raided a transit house of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh at Larkin Indah.
“The raid was conducted following an earlier arrest of a Bangladeshi man, who is believed to have been smuggled into the country through the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.
“The smuggling activity is believed to have started two months ago. The syndicate is believed to have been charging RM13,000 to smuggle a person from Bangladesh to Malaysia through Singapore,” Mohd Rusdi said.
He added that officers detained two Bangladeshi men who were at the house during the raid on Thursday.
“The two suspects, who are 37 and 42, are believed to be acting as the caretaker and middleman of the syndicate.
“Also seized were Bangladesh passports, RM14,500 in cash and a car,” he said.
