KOTA KINABALU: A 30-year-old man from Manggatal has become the latest Sabahan to fall prey to a human trafficking syndicate after a fake job offer in Singapore led to him being held captive in Cambodia.
Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) Sabah coordinator Capt (R) Jerry Jaimeh said the victim had secretly applied for a passport in October after being persuaded by a local agent promising him well-paid work abroad.
Jerry said the man was instead transported across borders to a scam centre where his documents were seized and he was beaten, tased and denied food for a week to pressure his family into paying a ransom.
His family last heard from him on Saturday, when he said he was surviving only on tap water as the syndicate demanded USD10,000 for his release, prompting his mother and aunt to plead for help at a press conference on Thursday.
Jerry said this is the seventh Sabahan case recorded by MHO this year and warned that victims who resist forced scam work face being resold to other syndicates or worse, as MHO works with authorities to locate the man before he is moved again.
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