TAPAH, Feb 3 — A big group of 13 undocumented migrants on the loose after escaping from the Bidor Temporary Immigration Depot, tried to seek sympathy and shelter from a guava farm worker in Kampung Senta here with a sob story of being cheated by a job syndicate.
However, the Indonesian worker known as Ali, in his 40s, did not buy their story but kept his composure and later tipped off the Immigration Department about their presence.
Ali, who has been working on an 80.9-hectare farm for more than 10 years, said he was at the orchard when he stumbled on one of the undocumented migrants.
“He claimed they were cheated out of work, were hungry and needed shelter from the rain. One of them could speak Malay well.
“I guessed as much that they were the escaped detainees, so I gave them food and drinks and let them into my house before reporting the matter to the Immigration,” he divulged when met by reporters at the orchard here this afternoon.
The recapture of the 13 detainees brings the number of arrests so far to 39 while the remaining 92 are still being hunted by security forces.
Two days ago (on February 1), 131 undocumented migrants comprising 115 Rohingya, 15 Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi escaped from the men’s block during a riot at the Bidor Temporary Immigration Detention Depot.
However, one detainee died in a road accident at KM 335 of the North-South Highway.
Meanwhile, the media which followed the authorities to arrest the group of 13 undocumented migrants in the guava orchard had to trudge through mud and riverbeds to reach the location.
This is because the path to the farm traverses a creek only passable to four-wheel drive vehicles.
Upon arriving at the location, all the migrants were herded to an open area before being moved to the Tapah district police headquarters. — Bernama
