ALOR STAR: Police arrested a local man, a Thai woman and rescued 27 Myanmar nationals including two children, who were allegedly smuggled into this country. Kedah Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Mohd Nashir Ya said the operation was jointly carried out by Bukit Aman and the Kedah Criminal Investigation Department following an investigation made by Bukit Aman Border Intelligence Unit. “An operation was carried out at 11pm on Tuesday until 11am this morning to curb human smuggling activities across the border. “During the operation, an unnumbered house at Kampung Padang Chik, Padang Sera in Kodiang was raided,” he said in a statement. Nashir said the team arrested a local man and a Thai woman with valid travelling documents at the house. Found inside the house were 22 men, three women and two boys, all from Myanmar, aged between between 13 and 52. He said initial investigations revealed the house was used as a transit point before the immigrants were sent to other parts of country. He said the transit house was rented and managed by the Thai woman while the local man acted as the driver who ferried the immigrants via car across the border. "We also seized a car believed to be used to ferry the illegal immigrants," he said. Nashir said the local man and the Thai woman are being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Person and Anti Smuggling of Migrants 2007 (Amendment 2010). The 27 illegal immigrants are being investigated under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963, he added.

Source: New Strait Times Online