KUCHING, Nov 9 — Sarawak Police have received 52 reports related to syndicates involved in human trafficking and job scams targeting residents in the state.

Sarawak Police Commissioner, Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri stated that all the reports have been referred to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) at Bukit Aman.

"The reports we received are from the Kuching, Sibu and Miri divisions, where victims contacted their families, informing them that they were stranded in Myanmar. Initially, they were promised lucrative jobs at casinos and hotels with handsome salaries in US dollars.

"Based on statistics, it is believed that 81 Sarawakians were stranded in Myanmar due to these non-existent job scams. Fortunately, 30 of them have been successfully repatriated,” he said during a press conference after the inauguration ceremony of the Astaka and Dewan Terbuka at the Sarawak Police Contingent Headquarters here today.

Acting Charge d’Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Yangon, Johan Razak, reported that the trend of enticing Sarawakians began this year, with many residents falling victim and being taken to countries like Myanmar.

He said that there were also Malaysians who travelled to Myanmar without syndicate involvement but when their visit visas expired, they claimed to be victims of human trafficking. — Bernama