A Malaysian man who tried to quietly ship his way back to his home country from Singapore was ultimately caught by immigration officers in the failed attempt.
Photos of the arrest were later shared by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and netizens were amused by the man’s seemingly lack of effort in making himself inconspicuous.
M’sian man tries to go ‘invisible’ but gets busted
In a Facebook post shared by ICA on Thursday (June 12), it showed several photos of the lorry that tried to smuggle the man out of Singapore into Malaysia being intercepted, as well as the man himself.
“ICA officers at Tuas Checkpoint foiled an attempt by a male Malaysian to depart illegally via a Malaysia-registered lorry.
ICA officers directed the lorry for enhanced checks and discovered a person hiding in prone position, in a corner of the lorry’s cargo compartment.
“The driver, his attendant and the smuggled person have been placed under arrest and referred to ICA’s Enforcement Division for further investigation,” the post read.
Under Singapore’s Immigration Act 1959, those found leaving the country illegally without a valid passport face a fine of up to $2,000 (approx. RM6,600), a jail term of up to six months, or both.
For those who assist someone to illegally depart Singapore, they are liable to a jail term between six months and two years and a fine up to $6,000 (approx. RM19,800). As for the vehicles that are used to commit such offences, they are liable to forfeiture.
Hiding or asleep?
In the comment section, netizens couldn’t help but laugh and wonder whether the man genuinely thought he could get away with his hiding tactic, with one calling it “the dumbest way of getting arrested”.
Others speculated that the man wasn’t trying to hide but instead fell asleep while waiting for the lorry to pass immigration checks.
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