"We have arrested 15 more illegal immigrants from the Middle East who had fled to the forest and residential areas during a raid on March 11," chief intelligence of the Sukabumi resort police station, Adjunct Commissioner Afrizal said to ANTARA News here on Monday.
Of the 72 illegal immigrants arrested, 19 are children while the rest are adult men and women. He added that the police were still investigating the case.
"The illegal immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan had planned to cross from Loji beach to Christmas Island to seek asylum there," he said.
He further added that the number could increase as the police are trying to find out if there are others in hiding. For the time being, the illegal immigrants have been kept at the Sukabumi resort police station.
The illegal immigrants left for Sukabumi from Cisaru, Bogor, in West Java by bus on Sunday morning and arrived at Loji beach around 5 am. They were caught around 9 am.
"We plan to hand them over to the Immigration Office in Sukabumi for a follow up," Afrizal said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
