Sepang police chief Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof said the detainees, aged between 21 and 30, were arrested at 9pm on Monday.

“They admitted to occupying the said property for two months. It is believed that they broke the lock to the house and installed a new one,” he told FMT.

Wan Kamarul said the arrests were made following a report received at 3.20pm in Terengganu.

“The trio were arrested under Section 488 of the Penal Code (for house trespass),” he said, adding that a remand order was sought this morning.

If found guilty, the three could face punishment of up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than RM5,000, or both.

On Sunday, New Straits Times reported that a man was shocked to discover that his friend’s house in Puchong, Selangor, which had been left vacant for 10 years, was occupied by foreign nationals.

The man, who shared the discovery on Facebook, said his friend who resides in the east coast had asked him to sell the property.

He said the homeowner mailed the house keys to his friend, who then handed them over to him.

“I asked who is living in the house now, and the owner said it has been vacant for several years. He never lived there after purchasing it, as he prefers staying in the village,” he was quoted as saying.

The man then decided to check on the condition of the house and found that it was occupied.

The man said the foreigners could not speak Malay or English, making it impossible for him to communicate with them.

He also mentioned having a conversation with the foreign residents’ supervisor, who informed him that they had been residing in the house for a long time without paying rent and without disturbing anyone.