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KUALA LUMPUR: Criminal activities tied to national borders, including shootings, migrant smuggling, and fraudulent unions in Macau, are among those that have drawn public attention throughout 2020.
Among the shocking events was the shooting with a group of smugglers on the border between Malaysia and Thailand in Padang Besar, Perlis, which resulted in the death of a member of the General Operations Force (GOF) and seriously injured his colleague the November 24.
Sergeant Baharuddin Ramli, 54, of Battalion 3 (Senoi Praaq), Northern Brigade, GOF, died after being shot in the left side of the abdomen, while Sergeant Norihan Tari, 39, was in critical condition after receiving three bullets to the ribs and abdomen in the incident around 3.10am. Both were from a border checkpoint.
The incident was reported in an area of bushes in a rubber plantation that was used as a smuggling route, less than 600 meters from the border area when the two GOF members were traveling on motorcycles to carry out monitoring activities.
The GOF members were only armed with pistols because they were on duty as scouts and encountered the smugglers, believed to be 13 people, carrying around 500kg of ketum leaves and a jute bag of medicine for the coughing before a shooting ensued.
Following the incident, the GOF mobilized its horse, air and armored units and members of the 69th Command to the Malaysian-Thai border in an effort to prevent further smuggling and hunt down smugglers.
Several local and Thai suspects were arrested after the incident, and on December 8, 52 people were detained for 28 days under the Security Crimes (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
In addition to the incident, the country was also shocked by the arrest of 18 policemen, policemen and army personnel on suspicion of being involved in the sale of information to an illegal and drug smuggling syndicate in Johor on June 18.
The activity was discovered following the arrest of 40 members of an organized crime syndicate involved in the trafficking of foreign immigrants in Johor on June 4, and they are believed to have been involved in the trafficking of immigrants and drugs on the east coast of Johor. for the past three years.
The cases of corruption and misconduct seemed endless when 65 people, including 39 Immigration Department officials, 17 officers and nine members of the public, were arrested via Op Selat launched by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in November to fight corruption syndicates that forged Entry Stamp to cross national borders.
Also drawing attention amid the Covid-19 pandemic were cases related to the Macau scam, which seemed to have no end with even more people falling victim while the motion control order was in effect.
However, in early October, the MACC detained five people, including two under the titles “Datuk Seri” and “Datuk”, alleged masterminds of the union, to assist in the investigations of the Macau scam cases.
The “Datuk Seri” is known to many because he led a luxurious life at the same time he was famous and is said to be on par with the popular celebrities of the country.
Even more shocking was when the authorities also arrested several high-ranking police officers and police officers who were said to be in cahoots to protect the union, causing many victims to suffer losses of up to hundreds of thousands of ringgits.
It also added to the controversy when one of the main suspects escaped by scaling the fence that cordoned off the MACC headquarters area as soon as he was released on MACC bail.
However, the 32-year-old suspect was arrested at a resort hotel in Pahang after being in hiding for five days.
The suspect with the title “Datuk” as well as the one with the title “Datuk Seri” and two policemen were then sentenced to two years’ detention under the Crime Prevention Act 1959.
