KOTA TINGGI, Dec 4 — Police foiled an attempt to smuggle in 13 Indonesian illegal immigrants to the district at Tanjung Balau, Bandar Penawar near here early yesterday morning.

Kota Tinggi district police chief Supt Rahmat Othman said 15 individuals, including two foreign drivers were arrested after a patrol team from Bandar Penawar intercepted their cars near the Tanjung Balau roundabout, near here.

Rahmat said the patrol team was patrolling at Jalan Mados here when they bumped into the illegal immigrants at 1.35 am but when ordered to stop for inspection all of them tried to escape with a Proton Waja car and a Proton Wira Aeroback car and sped off in the direction of Tanjung Balau.

“All of them were arrested with the help of nine personnel from the Bandar Penawar police station,” he said in a statement, here today.

He said initial investigations found that the drivers possessed passports while all of the passengers failed to show any valid identification documents and admitted they had just landed on the Mados beach from Batam, Indonesia.

All of the illegal immigrants, aged between 30 and 44, are being remanded for 28 days from the date of arrest. — Bernama