April 26, 2026
World
World
BEIJING, April 26 — China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said Beijing would “firmly support” Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty and security during talks with junta leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Ten people, including a senior Immigration Department officer, were arrested in “Op Toyu” at the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Kedah yesterday.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the special operation, carried out at 12.50pm, followed a month-long intelligence effort by the department’s Intelligence and Special Operations Division in Putrajaya, with support from the Kedah Immigration Department and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS).
Those detained include a local man and a Thai national believed to be “agents” known as “Toyu”, who coordinated the entry of foreign nationals, as well as another local man acting as a transporter. Also arrested were five Indian nationals, a Pakistani national, and a senior immigration officer suspected of acting as a facilitator.
Zakaria said preliminary checks showed one of the Indian nationals was blacklisted, while the Pakistani was found using a suspected fake e-visa. The remaining individuals were believed to be undocumented migrants.
Authorities also seized five Indian passports, one Pakistani passport, Malaysia–Thailand border passes, immigration security stamps, 12 mobile phones, and INR30,000 in cash. A Nissan Sentra, along with two motorcycles—a Honda Wave and a Honda EX5—were also confiscated.
He said the syndicate allegedly smuggled foreign nationals, mainly from India, through land entry points with the help of transporters posing as taxi drivers, while complicit officers approved their entry despite failing requirements.
The group reportedly charged RM1,000 per person, with RM400 allegedly paid to the officer per passport, and is believed to have been active since early this year, causing an estimated RM4.1 million in revenue losses.
Zakaria added that two local men and a Thai national are being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, while another local man is investigated under Section 26J of the same Act.
Five Indian nationals are detained under Section 8(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and the Pakistani national under Section 56(1)(l) of the same Act.
All detainees have been taken to the Kedah Immigration office for further action, while four others have been ordered to report to assist investigations.
He stressed that the Immigration Department will not compromise with any parties involved in migrant smuggling, including its own officers, to safeguard national security and sovereignty. —Bernama
