Malaysian police have detained 27 Bangladeshi ‘illegal immigrants’, who reportedly paid around Tk 300,000 (RM15,000) each for jobs in the Southeast Asian country, on charge of intrusion.
A report on Malaysia’s The Star Online – http://www.thestar.com.my – said on Thursday the men were jobless and had been getting only a daily meal of water and ‘roti canai’ and a cold hard floor to sleep on for over a month.
Three Malaysians, suspected to be members of a human trafficking syndicate, have also been arrested on charges of their involvement in the incident, it says.
The report says the Bangladeshis arrived in Malaysia through Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb 2, from where their agent took them to Shah Alam City. However, the group was rejected by the factory because of immigration issues.
They were then transported to Johor Baru where they were again rejected, it adds.
The Bangladeshis arrived in Penang on Monday when police were tipped off.
Penang police chief Abdul Ghafar Rajab said 17 of the foreigners were found when law enforcers stormed a two-storey industrial building in Taman Desa Murni.
The Star quoted him as saying, “They were very weak as they were only fed with water and roti canai. The cement floor was their bed.
“After the Malaysian suspects were questioned, we found another 10 Bangladeshis in a workshop in Bagan Lalang, Butterworth, who we believe were sold to a factory.”
The police chief said none of them had work permits; they only had photocopies of their passports.
“All were men aged between 20 and 40,” he said.
Rajab said the three locals, aged between 30 and 60, were remanded for 28 days for interrogation.
Police are now looking for the fourth local suspect, he said.
Malaysia is a key destination of Bangladeshi workers. At present, around 600,000 Bangladeshis are working in the Southeast Asian country.
The Malaysian authorities signed an agreement with the Bangladesh government in February this year to hire more Bangladeshis but then announced suspension of the deal a day later.
Source: Bd news24