LUNDU: An attempt to quietly breach Sarawak’s border was cut short when the Malaysian Army intercepted a large group of foreigners using an illegal route near the Indonesia-Malaysia boundary.
The incident happened at around 3.20 pm yesterday (Wed, Jan 28) when soldiers conducting routine border patrol spotted unusual movement approaching from the neighbouring country.
Acting swiftly, the troops mounted an immediate tactical response about 800 metres inside Malaysian territory, sealing off the route before they could vanish into the interior.
All 21 individuals – 16 men, four women and a boy, aged between four and 48 – were detained on the spot.
Preliminary inspections found that most of those apprehended did not possess valid travel document.
They reportedly claimed they were attempting to enter Sarawak to look for work and obtain goods without passing through authorised immigration checkpoints.
Further checks, however, raised doubts over their stated purpose after soldiers discovered high-value items worth about RM10,637.
Among the seized items were 19 smartphones, including premium models such as the iPhone 11 Pro, as well as devices from Xiaomi and Vivo.
Security screening confirmed the group was unarmed and posed no immediate physical threat at the time of detention.
All the foreigners were promptly deported to their country of origin via the nearest border exit on the same day.
The successful interception reflects the heightened vigilance of the Malaysian Army along Sarawak’s borders, shutting the door on syndicates or individuals attempting to treat the nation’s borders as an open gateway to slip into Malaysia without valid documents.
