Kuala Lumpur: Many illiterate ethnic Indians in Malaysia are falling prey to scams by organised syndicates who lure them with well-paying jobs and later treat them like slaves, a leading daily here reported on Saturday.
Wanting a better life for their family and eager to escape the grip of poverty, many ethnic Indians fall victim to the scam which has been kept under close wraps by syndicates, the New Straits Times said in a report from Malacca.
One of the victims, M Nadarajah, 47, said the syndicate members were like "thugs, who exerted force to instill fear so that we dare not go against them." He alleged that he and some others victims were abused verbally and physically.
Nadarajah said his captor had also threatened to sell his children, especially his two girls, if he escaped, the paper reported.
The newspaper, however, did not give any details of how many victims were lured by the syndicate. There was also no mention of any action by the police.