Friday July 16, 2010
By NG AI FERNaifern@thestar.com.my
KUCHING: A luxury car dealer who is a Datuk, his wife and six others involved in a suspected baby trafficking ring have been remanded for six days as two more children were rescued yesterday.Magistrate Nelson W. Angang granted the remand order after considering the request by the police to carry out investigations under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, 2007 and to identify the children involved.
Police yesterday found a three-year-old toddler and 12-year-old girl in a house in Batu Kawa. This brings the number of rescued children to six.
From left: A businessman carrying the title ‘Datuk’, his 24-year-old son and a relative were among the 10 suspects brought in court for the baby trafficking case. The children were all brought to court yesterday and some of the babies were crying uncontrollably.
It is learnt that they were initially supposed to be sent to a shelter in Kuala Lumpur but were later placed under the custody of the state Welfare Department.
Police believe the 43-year-old Datin could be the mastermind of the alleged syndicate.
She and her husband, who is 65, were detained at their house at Jalan Stampin Tengah on Wednesday morning when the police “rescued” three children at their residence.
All three children have documentation; one infant girl was registered with a couple, while two boys were registered under another couple.
The two couples, who were also remanded, are believed to be the Datin’s relatives.
Out of the woods: A baby and a toddler among six rescued from the suspected human trafficking syndicate. The other two suspects remanded are a local woman and an Indonesian woman believed to be the Datin’s friends.
They were arrested at 1.24am and 2.15am at their house at Green Height and Batu Kawah respectively yesterday.
The suspected baby trafficking syndicate was exposed following the rescue of an infant at Batu Kawah new township in an undercover police operation.
The baby was allegedly to be sold for RM10,000.
A woman who carried the baby during the bust has been detained under the Immigration Act. Judging by the ages of some of the children rescued, the suspected ring could have been operating for quite some time.
Datuk, wife and six others held in baby trafficking probe
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