Kedah police chief Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said statements from 420 adult inmates rounded up so far revealed a consistent theme of concern over the dead inmate.
Discontent had arisen over “medical-related reasons” concerning the dead inmate a day before the riot and escape, he said.
The prolonged stay at the camp, and instigation by a mastermind (dalang), could have also forced the inmates to leave.
However, the actual cause of the riot and exodus has yet to be determined, he said.
“We can’t say for sure that the medical reason is the cause of the riot. It is not about that alone. Our investigations are ongoing,” he told reporters today during a site visit to an oil palm estate in Bandar Baharu, Kedah, where the search for the missing Rohingya is going on.
Ringleader and assistant caught
He said the mastermind, a 34-year-old man, was one of the earliest detainees to be held there. He has since been detained and transferred to another immigration depot in Selangor.
Wan Hassan said the mastermind was assisted by three other men.
One of them, a 30-year-old man, was also recaptured yesterday and two more ringleaders are being sought. Wan Hassan identified them as Salim Nur Amin, 21, and Mohd Yunus, 44.
“We have identified these four individuals as the masterminds, and we are continuing with investigations to track down the remaining escapees,” he said.
Five escapees hiding in Bukit Thorn were recaptured earlier, but 88 others are still at large. The search operation, which also involves the General Operations Force and police air unit, covers southern Seberang Perai, Penang, and Bandar Baharu across the Kedah border.
Escapees likely to be very hungry
“Those remaining at large out there are likely to be very hungry as they have been without food for three days. We have sent out flyers to all kampungs alerting them about their likely presence.”
Hassan said anyone found to have concealed the Rohingya could expect to be dealt with severely under the law.
The breakout from the centre took place early on Wednesday. Six of the escapees were killed when hit by a car while crossing the North-South Expressway 6km away.
Most of them had been under detention for two years after they first arrived by boat in Langkawi. They were then transferred to the temporary immigration depot in Bandar Baharu.
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has said it had not been allowed to access any immigration detention centre in Malaysia since August 2019, which prevented UNHCR from determining those in need of international protection and to advocate for their release.