LAHAD DATU: Twenty-two women who police believe victims of human trafficking syndicate were rescued in a special police operation here on Tuesday night.
District police chief, Assistant Police Commissioner, Shamsudin Mat yesterday said the women were rescued from the 1st floor of a house at Hope Liey Centre, Jalan Dam, here by police from the State Crime Investigation Department (CID) and Lahad Datu CID who raided the house at about 11pm on Tuesday.
Shamsudin said the special operation called Ops Noda swung into action upon receiving a tip about a syndicate, exploiting women from the Philippines, for sex.
“Further inspection on the house led to the arrest of a 52-year-old man, who is believed to be the ‘guardian’ of the women in the house.
“The police managed to rescue 22 women, aged between 18 and 30, all from the Philippines, without any documents,” he said, adding that the man had been taken to the police station for further investigation.
Shamsudin said initial investigation revealed that all the victims are the Philippines who entered the state to find employment.
“All of the victims do not have any identification documents and we believe that they’re working as guest relations officers (GRO) in Lahad Datu.
“The victims would be placed under a shelter home for up to three months to allow for investigation,” he added.
Shamsudin also said that the case would be investigated under Section 12 of Anti-Human Trafficking Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
He added that the case would not be investigated under Section 13 of Anti-Human Trafficking Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 as reported in two local newspaper earlier.