BAU: A driver abandoned four Indonesian passengers and fled into an oil palm plantation after a police chase, leaving them to face arrest for allegedly entering Malaysia through an illegal border route.
The four — a 43-year-old woman, two men aged 25 and 18, and a 17-year-old boy — were detained by the General Operations Force (GOF) 11th Battalion during ‘Ops Taring Awas/Batas’ yesterday (Aug 5).
Bau police chief Supt Mohd Haide A. Rahman said the incident began at around 2.45pm when a GOF task force conducting patrols along an ungazetted route in Kampung Stass spotted a suspicious black Perodua Viva.
“The team instructed the vehicle to stop for inspection, but the driver refused to comply and sped off, prompting a pursuit with assistance from Bau police mobile patrol vehicle (MPV) unit.
“The chase ended at an oil palm plantation in Kampung Jagoi Duyoh along Jalan Serikin, where the driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped on foot, leaving the four passengers behind.
“Further inspections found that all four passengers were believed to have entered Malaysia through an illegal route at Kampung Stass,” he said.
Police seized the vehicle used and four smartphones to assist in the investigation.
Mohd Haide said the foreign suspects were taken to the district police headquarters (IPD) for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to track down the driver who remains at large.
The case is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia without valid travel documents.
