Sixteen foreigners, including children, rescued from forced labour in raids across KL and Selangor
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — Sixteen foreign nationals, including seven children, were rescued from forced labour in an operation carried out by police yesterday.
The operation, codenamed Op Pintas Mega, was conducted by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Division, D3 of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ), across four locations in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, according to a report published in Harian Metro today.
Authorities also detained 45 foreign nationals for various immigration offences.
Bukit Aman D3 Principal Assistant Director, Senior Assistant Commissioner Soffian Santong, said the first raid took place at a restaurant in Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, at 12.05am.
He said five boys aged between 16 and 17 — four from Myanmar and one from Indonesia — were rescued under Section 44 of the Atipsom Act.
'Following that, we arrested two men — one local and one Indian national — believed to be the employer and supervisor of the underage workers.
'In the same raid, 20 individuals aged 22 to 45 were detained, comprising 10 Myanmar nationals, four from India, two from Bangladesh and two from Indonesia,' he said in a statement today.
Soffian added that a second raid at a construction site in Pantai Dalam led to the rescue of eight men who were also victims of labour exploitation.
'Nine individuals aged between 35 and 51, including a local supervisor, were arrested in the same operation.'
The third raid was conducted at a car workshop in Puchong Utama, Selangor, at 4.16pm, resulting in the rescue of two teenage boys aged 14 and 17, and the arrest of one employer.
'A fourth raid was carried out at another car workshop nearby at 4.25pm, where a young boy from Myanmar was rescued.
'In the same raid, a 45-year-old local man believed to be the employer and two Myanmar nationals were arrested,' he added.
All rescued victims have been handed over to the district police headquarters in Gombak, Brickfields, and Subang Jaya for further action.
Soffian said the joint operation involved the Immigration Department, the Labour Department, the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO), and the Home Ministry, aimed at identifying victims of human trafficking and forced labour, especially among vulnerable groups.
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