Johor Immigration rescues three Indonesian women from alleged human trafficking, three locals arrested

JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 7 — The Johor Immigration Department has rescued three Indonesian women, believed to be victims of human trafficking, during a special operation at a business premise in Mount Austin here yesterday.

The victims, aged between 24 and 33, were reportedly subjected to unfair treatment and forced to work both in a factory and as domestic workers in their employer’s home.

Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the operation involved 24 officers from the department’s enforcement division and was conducted between 3.30pm and 6.30pm yesterday.

“The three victims were found working at the business premise when officers conducted the special operation.

“Initial investigations revealed that the victims were forced to work at a factory owned by their employer in the morning, before being required to continue working at a residential premise after factory hours,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Rusdi added that checks revealed the victims’ passports were illegally withheld by their employer.

He said their movements were restricted and they were prohibited from communicating with their families.

“The victims were reported to have worked as domestic helpers for between one and two years.

“Based on their initial statements, they were promised a monthly salary of RM1,800 but did not receive full payment throughout their entire employment period,” he said.

Following the operation, Mohd Rusdi said three local suspects were arrested to assist in investigations.

He said the suspects consist of a man and two women, aged between 31 and 62, who will be investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Atipsom) 2007 (Act 670).

“The rescue operation focused on identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable groups and was guided by the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators (NGHTI) 2.0,” he added.

NGHTI 2.0 is the country’s updated framework for identifying human trafficking victims, developed by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Council (MAPO) as part of the amended Atipsom Act.

The framework, introduced in 2023, provides standard indicators for enforcement agencies, protection bodies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), focusing on acts, means (fraud, force, threats), and purposes (forced labour, sexual exploitation) to improve victim identification and referral in a trauma-informed manner.