According to the human resources ministry, the rescue operation was conducted by the labour department, the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Mapo) task force and the police.

This followed a complaint by the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

The ministry said the employer was believed to have exploited the victim by threatening that she was not legally employed. They allegedly often scolded the victim if she requested to return to her country of origin.

“The victim was physically abused and kicked in the face when she asked for the balance of her salary,” the ministry said in a statement today.

It said the woman entered Malaysia legally with a permit to work as a maid in June 2003 through an agent she knew.

After securing the job, a sum of RM350 a month was deducted from the victim’s salary for four months as payment to the agent.

“The victim did not have any knowledge of this matter because she handed everything over to the agent and no written contract was made regarding the employment process, including payment to the agent,” the statement read.

The ministry said its initial investigation found indications of forced labour. The victim’s work permit expired in June 2020 and she was allegedly not paid salaries amounting to RM25,000 for three years, from 2018 to 2021.

There was also evidence that the employer had committed an offence under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007, the ministry said.

It added that the victim, who was traumatised, had been placed at the Central Zone Shelter in Damansara after an interim protection order (IPO) was obtained from the Sri Manjung magistrates’ court the same day she was rescued.

The IPO is for a period of 21 days until Oct 13 for the authorities to complete an investigation paper in line with the Atipsom Act 2007. The investigation paper will be submitted to the deputy public prosecutor for a decision on whether to take the employer to court.

“This operation clearly shows that the country will never compromise when it comes to the issue of forced labour, regardless of the nationality of the workers involved,” the statement said.