TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Riau Islands (Kepri) Police Department on Monday announced that it successfully rescued seven Indonesians who were about to be sent abroad illegally as migrant workers with the final destination of Malaysia.

In this raid, police nabbed one individual as a suspect in the alleged human trafficking, who acted as the facilitator for the migrant workers from Batam to Malaysia. Police initially were tipped on September 22 by reports from family members of the victims.

“The report stated there was one relative ready to be sent to Malaysia without the proper procedures,” said the Kepri Police Director of General Crimes commissioner Jefri Ronald Parulian Siagian in a press conference on September 26.

When an inspection was carried out at the port where the victims were about to depart for Malaysia, police also found one person suspected of having played a role in helping dispatch workers overseas.

"There are at least seven victims and these seven people are from Lampung, Palembang, and also Madura," he said.

Jefri continued, the modus operandi of smuggling illegal Indonesian workers was facilitated by a major businessman in Malaysia providing money to the suspect to recruit Indonesians to work in Malaysia.

"The person gave at least Rp18 million to the suspect," said Jefri.

YOGI EKA SAHPUTRA

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