The suspected recruiter will be remanded for seven days until March 20 for further investigation.
The deputy director (intelligence/operations) of Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department, Fadil Marsus, said the 20-year-old suspect was detained after police interrogated all the 25 who were brought back by bus from Tak province in Thailand, Bernama reported.
Fadil said only six of those rescued were believed to be genuine victims.
They have been granted an interim protection order for 21 days, he told a press conference at Bukit Aman.
Police have opened five investigation papers under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom) (Act 670), involving police contingents from Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
Thai authorities handed the 25 Malaysians to the Malaysian embassy on March 12 after they were repatriated by Myanmar authorities through Mae Sot in Thailand’s northern Tak province.
Fadil said 489 police reports have been received from Jan 1, 2021 to March 13 this year involving 637 people being victims of job scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and elsewhere. The 637, including 120 women, are aged between 22 and 39.
Of the total, 504 have been rescued, while 133 remain stranded abroad.
“Investigations found that 83% of the victims had an educational background of only up to the SPM level. They received the job offers through Facebook, Telegram, and WeChat, followed by invitations from friends or family.
“A study by police found that not all individuals rescued from human trafficking syndicates meet the definition of victims under the Atipsom Act,” he said.
Instead, he said, 70% of them were aware of the types of jobs offered before arriving at their destination, including that the jobs were related to criminal activities, such as scamming and gambling, indicating that they were not entirely deceived but feigned innocence after rescue.
Fadil said that from 2022 until now, the Atipsom division D3 had successfully dismantled six syndicates recruiting Malaysians for such jobs.
He advised the public to always be cautious of overseas job offers made through social media as they often promise lucrative salaries and benefits to lure prospective victims.
The victims had complained their freedom was curtailed and they were made to work for long hours without proper pay.