Some of the migrants found drifting in local waters after a boat capsized near the Thai border may be linked to a human trafficking syndicate.
Langkawi police chief Khairul Azhar Nuruddin said preliminary investigations suggest the syndicate has agents operating in both Malaysia and Myanmar, reported Kosmo.
He said statements from the migrants revealed that each of them had paid about 400,000 taka (RM13,600) to agents in Myanmar.
“Most of them came from rural areas and refugee camps,” he told reporters at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency jetty in Langkawi today.
“Two Bangladeshi nationals have been detained, and we will conduct further investigations to determine whether they are victims, boat skippers or crew members.”
He said investigators had also obtained several mobile phone numbers, which will be…