JOHOR BAHRU, July 9 – The Johor police have managed to expose a human trafficking syndicate exploiting disabled foreigners by paying them RM300 monthly to be beggars in the state.
Johor police chief CP M Kumar said they also arrested two local men and a local woman, 42 to 53, who acted as a guardian and transporters for the syndicate in raids around several locations in the city from 8.30 pm to 10.30 pm on June 13.
“The syndicate would offer disabled foreigners work as beggars, and pass them off to guardians to manage their accommodation and weekly collections.
“Two disabled men, 44 and 50, (who were rescued by the police) not only had to pay RM800 a week for passport arrangements, but also needed to hand over their weekly collections to the guardians, while receiving RM300 in payment a month for begging,” he said at a media conference on Tuesday.
He added that the syndicate had been operating since April and that every beggar could collect up to RM8,000 a month.
