KUALA LUMPUR - A Pakistani man who escaped from Sungai Buloh Prison on April 9 has been apprehended by the police on Saturday.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the inmate was arrested along Jalan Batu 14, Jalan Gombak Lama, Selangor at 5pm and conveyed his appreciation to all parties who assisted in the manhunt.
The escapee, Muhammad Hassan, 24, had escaped while under police supervision at the Sungai Buloh Prison at about 6pm after he attended trial proceedings at the Shah Alam Court.
The man had been arrested for sexual crimes against children under Section 377C and 392 of the Penal Code, Section 14(d) and (a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Meanwhile, Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the escapee was arrested thanks to six days of intelligence gathering by his department's intelligence and special operations division with cooperation from the Pakistan embassy.
He said the man was detained by an operations team while trying to escape after failing to produce valid identification documents.
"The man admitted to escaping while alighting from a police truck (on April 9) and had spent the entire week hiding in the forest around the construction site during the day.
"He also snuck into the construction site at night to seek refuge and sleep due to safety concerns and being attacked by wildlife and was found wearing clothing stolen from the construction site," he said in a statement on Sunday.
The Pakistan embassy had confirmed the identity of the man as the Pakistani inmate who escaped from police detention on April 9, he said, adding that checks found the man had arrived on Jan 11 via Kuala Lumpur International Airport on a 30-day social pass.
The man is suspected of committing violations under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and is being held at the Immigration Depot for further action, he added. - BERNAMA