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Two Malaysians arrested for alleged attempt to smuggle face masks from North Sumatra
The two suspects allegedly bought 12,000 face masks from drug stores across Medan, North Sumatra for resale in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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A visitor wears a face mask when visiting an art exhibition in Surakarta, Central Java on March 8. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
Security authorities at Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra have detained two Malaysian nationals for allegedly trying to smuggle 12,000 face masks to their home country on Wednesday.
The Malaysians, identified only as CHS, 44, and LYS, 42, are accused of having bought face masks with total value of Rp 60 million (US$4,126) from several drug stores across the provincial capital of Medan. The authorities claimed the two men confessed to having smuggled masks across the border five times in February.
Kualanamu Airport security manager Mira Ginting said the Malaysian nationals were still undergoing interrogation at the aviation security’s office, before being eventually transferred to the North Sumatra Police, who are to take over the case.
“Both suspects [allegedly] bought masks from Medan to be resold in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore,” Mira said on Wednesday.
Read also: The dos and don’ts of wearing masks in our fight against COVID-19
Security personnel arrested the two Malaysians after officers operating a security scanner reported finding suspicious items. They later asked baggage-check officers to conduct a manual search of the two suspects’ belongings.
“Our officers found seven bales of face masks in their belongings,” Mira said.
A number of regions across the archipelago have reported a shortage of masks and hand sanitizer following the government’s announcement that confirmed COVID-19 cases had been discovered in Indonesia. As of Thursday afternoon, Indonesia recorded 34 confirmed cases of the disease, with one patient identified as Case-25 having died early on Wednesday morning. (dpk)
