Malaysia has arrested 16 people of an alleged human trafficking syndicate after stopping a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankans believed to be bound for Australia and New Zealand.
Malaysia has arrested 16 people of an alleged human trafficking syndicate after stopping a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankans (Illustrative image. Source: Reuters/VNA)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysiahas arrested 16 people of an alleged human trafficking syndicate after stoppinga ship carrying 127 Sri Lankans believed to be bound for Australia and NewZealand.
Local police said on May 6 that theyhalted a tanker named “Etra” in Malaysia’s territorial waters off southernJohor state, which was making its way to international waters.
The arrestees include four Malaysiansand three Indonesians on a fishing vessel used to transport the Sri Lankans fromthe Johor coast to the aforesaid tanker.
Another four Malaysians were arrestedin the nearby state capital of Johor Bahru, while a fifth was taken intocustody in Penang.
Four Sri Lankan men were arrestedaboard the tanker for suspected involvement in the trafficking network, whichhad been operating since 2017.
The remaining 127 passengers on thetanker, including 24 women and nine children, were also detained for violatingimmigration laws.-VNA
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Malaysia has arrested 16 people of an alleged human trafficking syndicate after stopping a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankans (Illustrative image. Source: Reuters/VNA) 
