Riau Police thwart illegal shipment of 10 migrant workers to Malaysia

The Riau Regional Police (Polda Riau) intercepted the attempted illegal deployment of 10 Indonesian migrant workers to Malaysia at Tanjung Harapan Port in Selatpanjang, Kepulauan Meranti.

Authorities arrested a 54-year-old coordinator identified by the initials IS, who allegedly operated this recruitment scheme since 2017. The group planned to work as laborers in watermelon plantations in Malaysia. To evade immigration inspections, the suspects utilized a scheme involving 30-day tourist passports, intending to return the workers to Indonesia after 27 days of labor.

Investigations revealed that the agent, IS, collaborated with a Malaysian national identified as Tan, who was responsible for meeting and directing the workers upon arrival. The costs for travel tickets were reportedly covered by the agent and subsequently deducted from the workers' wages.