LUNDU: A human trafficking bid turned into a one-way trip to lockup after an immigration sting caught five undocumented migrants and their getaway driver trying to sneak into Kuching recently.
In a planned operation, the Sarawak Immigration Department’s Border Enforcement and Control Unit (UPKP) spotted suspicious movement as the group emerged from the woods and hopped into a waiting vehicle at Kampung Biawak.
“The local driver tried to flee from authorities but was eventually intercepted near Batu Kawa, thanks to quick action from the enforcement team.
“Checks revealed that all five passengers — believed to be Indonesians — had no valid travel documents. Each of them is believed to have paid between RM400 and RM500 to a smuggling syndicate promising a covert route into the city.
“The syndicate is suspected of using illegal routes in forested areas to bypass official entry points,” the department said.
The team also seized the vehicle used and a phone believed to have been used for coordination.
The driver is being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007, while the migrants are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Following this, the department assured that they are committed to crack down on human trafficking along the Sarawak’s borders.
