Pasir mas: The General Operations Force (PGA) arrested five men, including two Thai nationals, for entering Malaysia via an illegal route along the banks of Sungai Kampung Tok Rusa near Pasir Mas yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Southeast Brigade Commander SAC Ahmad Radzi Hussain stated that the men, aged between 31 and 45, were detained at about 8.30 pm by the Battalion 8 Strike Force team during Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan. PGA personnel conducting surveillance at the illegal jetty in Tanjung Baru along Jalan Kasban observed a boat carrying the five men approaching from Sungai Golok at the Thailand border before they disembarked on the riverbank at Kampung Tok Rusa.

The officers approached the group, identified themselves as police officers, and requested identification documents. Checks revealed that three of the men were locals, while the other two were Thai nationals believed to be the boatmen who ferried them across the river. Ahmad Radzi noted that initial investigations found the three local men had entered Thailand to buy cattle for the upcoming Aidiladha celebration and paid RM2 each for the boat ride.

Urine screening conducted by the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division of the Pasir Mas district police headquarters found that all five men tested negative for drugs. They were detained for entering Malaysia via an illegal route, and the case is being investigated under Section 5(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Additionally, a fibre boat and a Honda GX270 engine, estimated to be worth RM15,000, were seized during the operation.