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Bintulu CID rescues 11 human trafficking victims

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MIRI: Police on Monday rescued 11 Indonesians who were allegedly forced to clean bird nests without pay for three years by a married couple in Bintulu.

Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department chief, Datuk Dev Kumar said a Bintulu CID team led by Insp Nixon Malang raided a single storey terraced house in Taman Heng, Jalan Sebiew at 2.45pm following a public tip-off.

In a statement yesterday, he said the team found two men and nine women aged between 18 and 44  in a small room at the house.

“The victims were crying and begging to be rescued,” he said, adding, initial investigations revealed the victims were not only kept in bondage by the couple aged 59 and 53, but would receive a beating if they did not do their job well.

Meanwhile, he said the police team had to sever the padlock to the front door of the house and break down the room in which the victims were confined.  

“The couple were also inside the house. The woman acted aggressively and threatened and hurled obscenities at the police,” he said.

Dev said the suspects were arrested under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

“Police will apply to Bintulu Court today for a remand order on the suspects,” he said.

He said the victims would be sent to a shelter pending further action. 

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