JOHOR BARU, Dec 23 — Police have rescued two Chinese nationals with disabilities (PwD) who were allegedly forced by a syndicate to beg at night markets and eateries in the district.

In addition, a Malaysian man was arrested, suspected of being involved in human trafficking and smuggling, as part of an operation conducted last night.

Johor Baru North police chief Assistant Commissioner Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh said the rescue and arrest took place during the Ops Pintas Mega Tip operation at 10:50pm yesterday.

Police conducted an inspection at a premises on Jalan Perkasa 5 in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai, which led to the arrest of a 67-year-old local man based on information received.

"Following the arrest, a raid was carried out at a separate premises on Jalan Temenggong 3, also in Skudai, where authorities rescued a 39-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, both disabled Chinese nationals,” he said in a statement today.

Following the raid, police seized a mobile phone, a Land Public Transport Agency driver’s card, a Proton Wira, car keys, remote controls, and house keys belonging to the victims.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspect acted as a courier, transporting the victims to beg at various night markets and eateries in Johor Baru.

"The syndicate has been operating since early November, with daily collections ranging from RM50 to RM150,” he said.

The arrested suspect is now under remand for five days, from today until December 27.

An application for a 21-day protection order for the two victims has been filed under Section 44(2) of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007.

"The victims are currently placed in a shelter for further investigation,” Balveer Singh added, noting that the case is being investigated under Section 12 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2007 for acting as an illegal agent for migrant smuggling.

In September, it was reported that the Immigration Department uncovered a syndicate exploiting disabled Chinese nationals to beg, with the group generating over RM10,000 a month through public donations.