The police in Ipoh, Malaysia have refuted claims that 13 detainees who escaped from a temporary immigration detention centre in Bidor were killed in a car accident on the North-South Expressway. Perak police Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri clarified that only one Rohingya man died in an accident on KM335 of the expressway on Thursday (Feb 1).
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Comm Mohd Yusri said, “We deny the allegations made viral by some irresponsible folk on a social media platforms. We would like to advise the people not to spread fake information or speculate,” he said in a statement. He also mentioned that the police will investigate the claims under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, with penalties including a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
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Comm Mohd Yusri appealed to the public for any information about the escaped detainees, urging them to contact investigating officer Asst Supt Noor Irwan Abd Ghani at 017-316 8097 or the Tapah district police station at 05-401 1222. The total number of escapees includes 115 Rohingya and 16 Myanmar nationals.
He emphasized that a manhunt for the 131 escaped detainees is ongoing, with assistance from the Third Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF), the state police contingent’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Bukit Aman CID. The case is being investigated under Sections 147 and 223/224 of the Penal Code.
