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Kota Kinabalu: Police rescued seven foreign women, believed to be victims of human trafficking, from a house in Tawau on Nov. 24.
Acting on a tip-off, an anti-vice raid by a team from the Crime Investigation Department at State police headquarters, zeroed in on a double-storey wooden house where the women, aged between 19 and 30, were being kept.
State Officer-in-Charge of Crime Investigation, SAC II Zainal Abidin Kasim, said the team also arrested four other foreigners, including three men aged between 21 and 30 and a 24-year-old woman.
"We arrested them under the Anti-Trafficking In Persons Act 2007 (ATIP 2007). The four suspects acted as their (victims) guardians and have used these seven women for the purpose of exploitation," he said, Thursday.
He said police also seized a Proton Wira car belonging to the suspects.
"We suspect they have been using the car to transport the victims to locations to carry out immoral services. For the time being, we have placed the women in a safe house where we will keep them for a maximum of three months.
"They are now under the Interim Protection Order (IPO) care. We will provide counselling and record their statements before sending them back," he said.
Police have so far solved six cases under the Act and rescued 26 women throughout the State this year.
Suspects would be investigated under Section 12 of the ATIP 2007, which provides for imprisonment of up to 15 years and a fine, if convicted.
Zainal Abidin advised the public to act as a watchdog for the police and provide information should there be any exploitation cases in their respective area.
"Exploitation here means all forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery, servitude, any illegal activity (example: trading in persons being a child) or the removal of human organs. We urge the public to work together with the police to eradicate such activities," he said.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=69132
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