“The families involved have been asked to pay between RM50,000 and RM100,000 each for their release,” he said at a press conference.

Chong said there had also been one ransom demand from Cambodia and another in Thailand.

He said the families had sought advice from him on how to pay the ransom, but he told them to lodge reports with the police instead.

“This sort of thing must be handled by the police. Very often, families make the payment, but their loved ones don’t return.

“I cannot advise them to pay when there is no guarantee.

“I advise those who have been trafficked in Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand to go to the nearest police station or Malaysian-owned businesses to seek help,” he said.

Chong said his department had records of more than 40 human trafficking victims while MCA Youth had received another 30.

“So far, we have only managed to save about 10 victims from Cambodia with the help of local authorities and the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh.”

He said Malaysian ambassador to Cambodia Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim had appealed to the Cambodian deputy prime minister to seek the release of those still trapped in human trafficking camps.

“We hope they will be released soon.”

Earlier last month, it was reported that a family had forked out RM10,000 to get a criminal syndicate in Myanmar to release a 15-year-old Malaysian and another teen with him.

They had apparently arranged the release with the help of Malaysian businessmen in Thailand.

It is believed that these criminal syndicates recruit youths from Malaysia by promising them jobs with a lucrative income and free flight tickets.