KTM going after illegals

KTM going after illegals

04 Mar 2007
Fadhal Ilahi Abd Ghani

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KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time in its 12-year history, KTM Komuter screened its own passengers for illegals yesterday morning. Five women and 38 men from Indonesia, Nepal, India, Africa, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan were nabbed.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd central district senior manager Ali Hanafiah Bujal said the two-hour operation was conducted by 20 KTM auxiliary police and 14 Rela members. The foreigners will be handed over to the Immigration Department.

Ali said a Pakistani man, in his 20s, tried to bribe an auxiliary police officer to release him, but he was turned down.

"We receive at least three complaints a day, more on weekends, of pickpocketing on the trains and on the platforms, so we decided to mount the operation."

Ali said pickpockets are most active during the morning and evening peak hours. Late last year, a victim was injured in a fight with a pickpocket suspect.

Signalling and track equipment are also being stolen, possibly by drug addicts or foreigners, he added.

"This not only delays trains, it could lead to serious accidents," he said.

KTM’s auxiliary police, said Ali, also patrol busy crime-prone stops like KL Sentral, Mid Valley Mega Mall, Kajang, Serdang and several others in the city.

He said KTM plans to install closed-circuit television cameras in the stations as well.

There are 42 stations along the Sentul to Klang and Rawang to Seremban routes.