KOTA BHARU: The 8th Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) detained 20 illegal immigrants, including two suspected tekong, in three separate raids under Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan.
The operations took place on Wednesday (Aug 13) and Thursday (Aug 14) across Machang and Pasir Mas.
Southeast Brigade GOF commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid confirmed the arrests.
The first two raids occurred in Machang on Wednesday, resulting in the detention of 11 Pakistani nationals.
Two of those detained were believed to be tekong, responsible for smuggling operations.
The first raid on the Machang–Kuala Krai Bypass Highway at 9.30 pm led to the arrest of six Pakistani men in a vehicle.
“The driver possessed a valid passport, but the other five had expired passports and no valid entry stamp,“ said Nik Ros Azhan.
About 40 minutes later, five more Pakistani men were detained, including a driver with an expired passport.
The four passengers lacked valid entry stamps, leading to their arrest.
Both drivers, aged 31 and 32, were held under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007.
The 11 passengers were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1059/63.
In the third raid at 6.45 am on Thursday, nine Myanmar nationals were detained in Kampung Kubang Pak Hitam, Pasir Mas.
The group consisted of seven men and two women without valid identification documents.
They were taken to the Pasir Mas Police Headquarters for further investigation under the same laws. – Bernama