Sixteen victims of forced labour rescued in Klang Valley raids

POLICE have rescued 16 individuals believed to be victims of forced labour across several industries during a coordinated anti-trafficking operation in the Klang Valley on Thursday.

The raids, conducted under Op Pintas Mega, were led by Bukit Aman’s D3 Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) division, in collaboration with the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Mapo), the Immigration Department, the Labour Department, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Soffian Santong, Principal Assistant Director of D3, said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking offences, Sinar Harian reported today.

“Four raids were carried out at a restaurant in Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, two car workshops in Puchong Utama, and a construction site in Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur,” he said on Friday.

He said the 16 rescued male victims, aged between 14 and 51, comprised seven from Myanmar, seven from Bangladesh, one from Indonesia, and one Malaysian.

Six men—identified as employers and supervisors—were arrested under Sections 14 and 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. The suspects include locals as well as nationals from Bangladesh and India.

In addition, 39 foreign nationals from India, Myanmar, Indonesia and Bangladesh, aged between 22 and 50, were detained under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for further investigation.

Soffian stressed that the operation focused on identifying victims of forced labour exploitation using the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators 2.0. - May 9, 2025