Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Immigration
officers have detained eight Pakistanis, believed to be
waiting to be smuggled into Australia, news reports said
Thursday.
The New Straits Times newspaper reported that however,
more than 150 other illegals waiting for the same purpose
escaped into a nearby jungle when officers raided the area.
A local man in his 50s, suspected to be the caretaker
of the hut, was also detained in the raid yesterday.
The illegals were found hiding in a makeshift hut near
the Tanjung Leman beach in Mersing in southern peninsular
Malaysia. The hut was believed to be the transit spot for the
illegal immigrants, the daily said.
The Pakistanis, aged between 30 and 40, and the other
illegals, were believed to have paid between 15 lakhs rupees
to 25 lakh rupees each for a boat ride out of the country.
They were scheduled to proceed via illegal routes
through Indonesia and East Timor to Darwin, Australia.
PTI
