An attempt to smuggle a Chinese national believed to be involved in online scam activities into Malaysia was foiled after he was discovered hiding beneath the rear passenger seat of a four-wheel-drive vehicle at the Padang Besar Immigration Complex last month.
The man was found lying on the floor beneath the back seat of a Thailand-registered Isuzu D-Max before officers from the Perlis Immigration Department successfully stopped his illegal entry into the country.
Perlis Immigration director Mohammad A’sim Md Ali said the incident was detected during an inspection operation at the Padang Besar Immigration checkpoint at around 3.10pm on April 17.
Initial checks found two Thai nationals inside the vehicle before immigration officers discovered a Chinese man hiding on the floor of the rear passenger area.
“The man was lying down and covered with a black jacket in an attempt to avoid detection by authorities.
“Investigations revealed that he did not possess any valid travel documents or passes to enter Malaysia, and there was also no movement record in the Immigration Department’s system,” he said during a press conference at the Home Ministry complex on Tuesday.
Mohammad A’sim added that the Chinese national admitted to previously working as a scammer in Cambodia and is believed to have been attempting to enter Malaysia to continue similar activities.
The suspect was charged at the Kangar Sessions Court on April 29 under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia without valid documents.
He said the two Thai men believed to have assisted in smuggling the suspect into the country were also charged under Section 34 of the Penal Code for acting with common intention.
“As of May 11, the court has yet to record a decision in the case, while the mention of facts and sentencing for both accused has been fixed for May 14,” he said.
In a related development, Mohammad A’sim said the Perlis Immigration Department had carried out 166 enforcement operations from January until Monday under Ops Sapu, Ops Selera and Ops Kutip.
A total of 1,930 foreign nationals were inspected during the operations, with 130 undocumented migrants detained for further investigation.
Last year, the department conducted 359 operations, resulting in the arrest of 420 undocumented migrants, he added.
