LAHAD DATU, May 24 — The East Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) detained 88 illegal immigrants during a special integrated operation (OBK) that focused on six locations identified as base for illegal immigrants in and around Felda Sahabat, near here, on Monday.
ESSCom Commander Datuk DCP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said during the eight-hour OBK which started at 2am, 82 Filipinos and six Indonesians aged between nine months and 70 years were detained for various offences, including lack of identification documents.
“The six locations focused were Kampung Batu-batu, Kampung Kenali, Kampung Pangkalan, Kampung Sinakut Lama, Baru and Kampung Sungai Merah. We screened 142 individuals and detained 88 of them. They will be investigated under Section 6 (1)(centre) Immigration Act 1959/61.
“They will be placed at a temporary detention centre in Sandakan before deporting them to their respective countries,” he said in a statement, here yesterday.
He said operations to weed out illegal immigrants would continue from time to time to cripple smuggling activities carried out by these illegal immigrants, especially smuggling out subsidised goods like petrol and smuggling in contraband cigarettes.
The operation involved 433 personnel from various enforcement agencies, he said. — Bernama
