BUKIT MERTAJAM, Dec 11 — Police rescued a 22-year-old woman, believed to have been kept confined by a syndicate, to be sent to a neighbouring country to work, in a raid on a house at Taman Sanctuary, Machang Bubok, here, on December 6.

Seberang Perai Tengah district police chief ACP Tan Cheng San said that police had received information that the woman had been locked up in the house for several days by a human trafficking syndicate.

"Acting on information and intelligence, police raided the house at 5.45pm on Wednesday, and arrested a 34-year-old man, before rescuing the victim.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the self-employed man wanted to take the victim to a neighbouring country to work as an operator for an online fraud syndicate,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

He said that police also seized two cars and a laptop during the raid, as well as various equipment related to prostitution, such as condoms and tissues.

Tan said that further investigations into the case were still ongoing, including tracking down several people believed to be part of the syndicate’s network.

The suspect has been remanded under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling Act (Atipsom) 2007.

"The police are advising the public, especially those who are offered a well-paid job abroad, to enquire beforehand, for fear of falling victim to fraud syndicates or human trafficking,” he said.

It is believed that the woman was offered a job in a neighbouring country because a friend of the arrested man had offered her a good salary.

The suspect allegedly wanted to manage the victim’s passport by locking her in the house before sending her abroad. — Bernama