Police arrest man with 18 Thai women in Kota Bharu

KOTA BHARU, Feb 9 -- Police have arrested a local man and 18 Thai women in an Op Pintas/Benteng raid near a hotel here, yesterday.

Kelantan Criminal Investigations Department chief ACP Wan Khairuddin Wan Idris said the 25-year-old man who was driving near Jalan Doktor here was pulled over by a D9 team in an operation at 9 am.

He said an inspection found three Thai women in the car, which led the police to a nearby hotel.

“The police later found another 15 Thai women in separate rooms,” he said when contacted today.

Wan Khairuddin said the Thai women aged between 22 and 37 were believed to be taken out from Kelantan to seek jobs in the west coast states.

The case is being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, Section 6(1)(C) of the Immigration Act and Section 15 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020.

-- BERNAMA