LUMUT: Police believe that the remaining 75 still at large of the 131 illegal immigrants who escaped from the Bidor Temporary Immigration Depot on Feb 1 are hiding around Tapah and Bidor.

       Perak police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said this was based on investigations conducted on escapees who were apprehended in Op Kesan, which entered its fifth day on Monday (Feb 5).

       ALSO READ: Bidor breakout: Escaped detainee dies in accident near Tapah

       "We will continue to focus on the search in Tapah and Bidor, especially in remote areas such as villages and forests nearby.

       "This is because, based on our investigations, those who are still at large are believed to be in both areas, as they escaped with only the clothes on their back,” he said.

       He was speaking to newsmen after officiating a safety awareness campaign in conjunction with the 2024 Chinese New Year celebrations at the Lekir Toll Plaza here Monday.

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       Mohd Yusri said roadblocks would also continue at seven locations covering the districts of Tapah, Kampar, Muallim and Hilir Perak to ensure those still at large cannot escape the police dragnet.

       “In addition to roadblocks, the police Air Operations Force unit will use drones and the like to detect them more quickly,” he said.

       Meanwhile, he also urged the public to cooperate if they have information about the escapees’ presence in their areas.

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       "If they (the public) have information or detect the presence of the illegals in their areas, they should immediately contact the police for us to make arrests and take further action,” he said.

       In the incident on Thursday (Feb 1) night, a total of 131 illegal immigrants fled from the male block of the depot, with one of them reported to have died in a road accident.

       Of the total who fled, 115 were Rohingya detainees, followed by 15 Myanmar nationals and one from Bangladesh.

       As of 2pm Monday, 54 have been recaptured, while two detainees were reported dead after being involved in road accidents. - Bernama