In a significant crackdown on human trafficking, Malaysian authorities have arrested a 22-year-old Maldivian woman, among others, in an operation on August 2.

Malaysian Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain confirmed that the operations took place at a condominium complex along Jalan Ampang around 10:30 AM. 

During the raid, a 24-year-old Tanzanian woman was rescued under Section 44 of the Anti-Trafficking of People and Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act. 

In total, 20 individuals of African descent were arrested.

Among those detained were two Nigerian men, aged 33 and 35, who were charged under Section 12 of the ATIPSOM Act for trafficking a person for exploitation. 

Additionally, two Ugandan women, aged 28 and 29, were detained under Section 15(1) of the Immigration Act, while 13 others, including a two-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, were detained under Section 6(1) of the same Act.

The 22-year-old Maldivian woman, along with two Nigerian women aged 31 and 36, were arrested under Section 55D of the Immigration Act. 

This section addresses offenses related to forging or altering documents for the purpose of obtaining visas, permits, passes, or certificates under the Immigration Act. 

Violators of this section face penalties ranging from fines of RM30,000 to RM100,000, imprisonment for five to ten years, and a whipping of six strokes.

All detainees were taken to the Wangsa Maju police headquarters for further investigations and the victim identification process.