A week after the exposure of the human trafficking issue, which drew the attention of various quarters, police said today they have identified the mastermind behind the syndicate.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said police were investigating the identity of the man, reportedly known as "Yassin" and believed to be the main agent for the human trafficking activities.

Yesterday, Kedah police chief Zamri Yahya was quoted as saying that Yassin was a big name and believed to be directly involved in buying the victims of human trafficking.

Police identification of the criminals in the human trafficking syndicate and in discovering the transit camps that housed the victims in the jungles of Wang Kelian, Perlis, could help the authorities smash such inhumane activity.

Meanwhile, the Fire and Rescue Department's deputy director-general (Operations), Soiman Jahid, said the department has deployed a helicopter and an air team to assist in the operations to remove the remains of suspected human trafficking victims from several graves in Bukit Wang Burma, near the Malaysia-Thailand border.

The Malaysian public was shocked by news of the discovery of 139 graves at 28 Rohingya refugee transit camps, believed to have been abandoned by the human trafficking syndicate, from Kampung Wai in Kuala Perlis right up to Tangga 100 at Felcra Lubuk Sireh in Padang Besar, close to the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Since the operation to exhume the remains began on May 25, 35 human skeletons have been found and taken to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, with the post-mortem due to begin on June 7.

Phase two of the search-and-exhume operations at a new, abandoned transit camp in the Mata Ayer Forest Reserve area in Lubuk Sireh will begin tomorrow and 91 graves are believed to have been identified there.

This camp is located only about 100 metres from the border and is now being closely guarded by the General Operations Force to ensure no stealing of the evidence from the location.

- Bernama