Cops rescue 16 forced labour victims in Klang Valley raids
Police rescued 16 people, including teenagers, believed to be victims of forced labour during a series of raids across the Klang Valley yesterday.
Bukit Aman D3 chief Soffian Santong said the first raid by the Bukit Aman Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) unit took place just after midnight on May 8.
The unit, under Op Pintas Mega, raided a restaurant in Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, where...
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New Straits Times
13-06-2025
- New Straits Times
Human trafficking syndicate disguised as a job agency busted
KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department has busted a human trafficking syndicate operating under the guise of a job agency in Klang following raids on three premises. Immigration deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar said the operation, led by the department's Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Money Laundering Division in Putrajaya, was carried out upon receiving public complaints and after two weeks of intelligence gathering. "A local woman, believed to be the mastermind, and two Filipino women acting as caretakers of the premises were arrested during the operation," he said in a statement today. Nine Filipino women believed to be victims were rescued, while 10 others aged between 26 and 43 were detained for further investigation. All of them lacked valid passports or visit passes. The premises, believed to be used as a holding area for the victims, were seized along with several Philippine and Indonesian passports, and mobile phones containing suspected evidence of communication between the mastermind and caretakers. Ismail said the modus operandi involved luring foreign workers from source countries with false promises of employment. Upon arrival, they were bound by contracts and prohibited from returning to their home countries. They were forced to work and made to pay exorbitant fees set by the agency. "These women were made to work part-time as domestic helpers for multiple employers, earning between RM70 and RM120 per day. "However, the wages were collected entirely by the agency without the victims' knowledge or consent," he said. He added that the victims were tightly controlled, with their passports held by the agency and their phones confiscated by the caretakers, only returned when deemed necessary. The operation also adopted a victim-identification approach based on the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators 2.0 to detect elements of forced labour, particularly among vulnerable groups. Ismail said investigations are now underway under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which carries penalties of up to 30 years in prison, life imprisonment, and whipping upon conviction. "The public is urged to continue channeling information about the exploitation of foreign nationals to the Immigration Department so immediate and firm action can be taken," he said.
New Straits Times
30-05-2025
- New Straits Times
55-year-old woman charged with trafficking underage boy and girl
JOHOR BARU: A 55-year-old woman was charged in the Sessions Court here today with two counts of trafficking underage children last year. The accused, Haliza Palok, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out by the court interpreter before Judge Thalha Bachok @ Embok Mok. According to the charge sheet, Haliza was alleged to have trafficked a boy, aged between 10 and 12, and a girl, aged between 13 and 15 by exploiting them for illegal activities under Section 5(1)(c) of the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act. The alleged offence was committed at Jalan Kargo 2, Senai Airport City, Senai, at 6.54pm on Dec 19 last year. The charges were framed under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 that carries a sentence of life imprisonment or a minimum of five years' jail and whipping upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor from the Immigration Department, Tan Yen Thung, proposed bail of RM20,000 for each charge with two sureties. Tan also proposed the court impose additional conditions including monthly reporting to the Johor Immigration Office and surrendering the accused's international passport to the court. However, lawyer Amarpreet Singh Rajwinder Singh, representing the accused, requested minimal bail, stating that his client was unaware of being charged today and that both she and her husband were unemployed. The court later granted bail of RM17,000 for both charges with two guarantors, along with two additional conditions as proposed by the prosecution. The accused was also prohibited from interfering with prosecution witnesses. The case is fixed for mention on Aug 27 for the submission of documents.
The Star
30-05-2025
- The Star
Mom of four charged with trafficking, exploiting children in Johor
JOHOR BARU: A 55-year-old woman has claimed trial to two counts of trafficking and exploiting underage children. The accused, Haliza Palok, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read before Sessions Court judge Thalha Bachok @ Embok Mok on Friday (May 30) here. In the first charge, Haliza was accused of trafficking a boy, estimated to be between 10 and 12 years old, and exploiting him for activities in violation of Section 5(1)(c) of the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966. For the second charge, she was accused of committing the same offence against a girl believed to be between 13 and 15 years old. She was alleged to have committed the offences at around 6.54pm on Dec 19 last year, at Jalan Kargo 2, Senai Airport City. The charges were framed under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which provides for life imprisonment or a minimum of five years' jail and whipping, upon conviction. The prosecution was led by Immigration Department deputy public prosecutor Tan Yen Thung, while Haliza was represented by Amarpreet Singh, who appeared on behalf of lawyer Mohd Amierul Sharafi Shahazan. Tan requested bail to be set at RM20,000 for each charge with two sureties and for the accused to surrender her passport and report to the department once a month. Amarpreet asked for a lower amount, citing that his client and her husband were currently unemployed. He added that the accused, a mother of four, suffers from hypertension and had not been informed earlier that she would be charged in court. 'The accused was only told to go to the Immigration office to give her statement. She and her family had only a few hours to prepare the bail money,' he said. Judge Thalha then set bail at RM17,000 in total with two sureties, and allowed the prosecution's additional conditions. She also instructed the accused not to contact or disturb the victims and fixed Aug 27 for the next mention. It is learnt that the two children, believed to be from the Philippines, were made to work at a battery factory. It was also learnt that the accused had allegedly acted as a middleperson who 'supplied' workers to businesses.
