Tumpat: Police arrested 12 individuals, including two local women and nine foreign nationals, during Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan to combat migrant smuggling activities in Tumpat yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, General Operations Force (GOF) Southeast Brigade Commander SAC Ahmad Radzi Hussain stated that the operation, conducted at about 5 am, was based on intelligence and led to the arrest of the suspects at a premise in Bandar Baru Pasir Pekan, Wakaf Bharu. A team from the 9th Battalion, together with the Tumpat district police headquarters Criminal Investigation Division, detected a suspicious vehicle behind the premise before carrying out an inspection.

Checks revealed that seven Bangladeshi men possessed passports but did not have valid passes, while two Myanmar men failed to produce any travel documents, indicating their illegal entry into the country through routes from Thailand.

Ahmad Radzi further elaborated that a 24-year-old local man, suspected of acting as a transporter, was also arrested alongside two local women aged 18 and 17, one of whom is believed to have functioned as a 'tonto'. Initial investigations disclosed that the local man, who tested positive for drugs, received RM100 for each migrant transported, while the women earned approximately RM150 for monitoring the movements of authorities.

The authorities also seized a Proton Iswara Aeroback and a Yamaha Y15ZR motorcycle, estimated to be worth RM17,000. The case is currently under investigation under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM), Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. The suspects and seized items have been handed over to the Tumpat IPD for further action.