TAWAU – The dreams of 15 illegal immigrants to have a better life in Sabah were dashed when they were detained as soon as they landed here from Indonesia last night.
In the 9.45pm incident, the 15 Indonesian citizens were nabbed while they were hiding in a house nearby Jalan Kuhara.
EssCom commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman said the raid code-named “Op Cegah Pati” saw the arrest of 10 men, three women and two children aged between one and 58.
All were detained with their personal belongings, for failure to have valid identification documents.
The raid was conducted in collaboration with the Armed Forces’ Second Regiment, General Operations Forces’ 14th Battalion, marine police, personnel from the People’s Volunteer Corps in Tawau and police.
“All 15 illegal immigrants and a local man were brought to the district police headquarters for further action.
The case is being investigated under Section 6(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Amended 2002) and Section 55E Immigration Act 1959/63.
“The success of the raid was the result of close cooperation between the security agencies and the local community to topple the tactics of illegal immigrants using “jalan tikus” (illegal routes) to enter the country illegally,” said Fuad in a statement. – The Vibes, November 3, 2021
