M'sia man, 46, uses illegal sea route to see secret 2nd wife after wife took his passport, gets caught in anti-smuggling operation

A 46-year-old man from Perak was detained after allegedly using an illegal sea route to return to Malaysia from Indonesia, in an attempt to keep his second marriage hidden from his first wife.

Pregnant secret second wife

The man told authorities he had travelled to Medan to visit his pregnant second wife, but resorted to “backdoor” channels as his passport was being held by his first wife, reported the New Straits Times.

According to Selangor maritime authorities, the man admitted that his first wife did not know about his second marriage, and that he chose to enter and leave the country illegally to avoid raising suspicion.

He claimed he had travelled to Indonesia last week after learning that his second wife, who is five months pregnant, was in critical condition.

Unable to fly without his passport, he said this was the first time he had used an illegal route.

Arrest during anti-smuggling operation

The man was among two Malaysians and dozens of undocumented migrants detained during a special operation conducted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in the early hours of Monday (Jan. 26).

The Selangor MMEA director said officers intercepted two boats off the coast of Sabak Bernam following intelligence on human smuggling activities.

The first arrest took place at about 12:30am, roughly 1.5 nautical miles southwest of Bagan Nakhoda Omar, involving an unregistered fibreglass boat operated by a 36-year-old Myanmar skipper.

On board were 26 Indonesian migrants , 17 men and nine women aged between five and 53, along with the two Malaysian men.

A second boat was intercepted at around 2am, approximately two nautical miles from the same area.

That vessel was carrying 24 undocumented migrants, including a three-month-old baby girl.

Smuggling syndicate

Investigations revealed that the smuggling syndicate charged between RM1,500 and RM2,500 per person, depending on the distance travelled and drop-off location.

Among those detained was a 32-year-old Indonesian single father who attempted to cross the sea with his infant daughter after his wife disappeared.

He said that he had no family support in Malaysia as his parents are dead and his only remaining family member is a married sister.

“I have no one in Malaysia. My baby is only three months old. I just want to go home,” he told the MMEA officers, as cited by The Star.

The Selangor MMEA director added:

"All detained migrants failed to produce valid identification documents.”

All suspects and seized boats were taken to the Marine Police Force jetty in Pulau Indah for further action.

Top images via Oriental Daily, Canva