JOHOR BAHRU, Dec 21 — The Immigration Department raided a transit house in Larkin Indah on Thursday and dismantled a human trafficking syndicate charging RM13,000 per person to smuggle Bangladeshi nationals into the country.

Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said during the Ops Serkap operation two Bangladeshi men, aged 37 and 42, believed to be caretakers of the house and facilitators of the syndicate, were arrested.

"We believe the smuggling of Bangladeshi nationals into Malaysia has been going on for the past two months, with a fee of RM13,000 per person for travel from Bangladesh to Malaysia via Singapore.

"Several Bangladeshi passports, RM14,500 in cash, and a vehicle were seized. Only the two men were found at the transit house during the operation,” he said in a statement today.

He added that the enforcement action followed an earlier operation that led to the arrest of a Bangladeshi man suspected of being smuggled into Malaysia through the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Iskandar Puteri.

In a separate case, Mohd Rusdi disclosed that on Thursday authorities rescued two Filipino children, a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, suspected of working at a manufacturing factory in Senai, Kulai.

He stated that during the Ops Mahir operation at 6.54 pm, a 44-year-old local man, who was the factory’s human resources officer, was arrested.

Both cases are being investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Act 670) and the Passports Act 1966 (Act 150), he added. — Bernama