Dato Aidi Ismail
KUCHING (Sept 10): The arrest of a serial paedophile Alladin Lanim was the result of collaboration between the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), especially the D11 division of Bukit Aman and Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department (CID), with the Australian police and also various agencies in Malaysia, said Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail.
He said considering the suspect’s activities took place in the dark web and with Alladin’s identity unknown, intelligence gathering and investigations were carried out by the Bukit Aman D11 (Sexual, Women and Child Abuse Investigations) together with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) which has more expertise in investigations involving the dark web.
“PDRM Sarawak with only this information provided, with D11 and Sarawak CID, had successfully conducted intelligence and found that Alladin was working as a field conductor in an oil palm plantation. Media reports saying that he was arrested at a quarantine centre in Kuching after returning from Peninsula Malaysia are not accurate.
“This is because Alladin never left Sarawak after returning to the state in 2016,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Aidi was responding to comments made by various quarters questioning the role of PDRM in Alladin’s capture, following a report in Australian daily The Sydney Morning Herald.
He said based on the information received on July 5, 2021, the raiding team from the state police headquarters arrested the accused for possessing thousands of child pornography materials in his mobile phone.
The case, he added, was investigated under Section 10 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
“Five children from the accused’s neighbourhood area came forward with their parents to lodge police reports to assist in the investigation.
“On Aug 16 and 17, 2021, Alladin was charged in the Sessions Court with 18 offences, and sentenced to 48 years and six months in prison and 15 whippings.
“The accused is currently in prison and at the same time, several other charges will be proposed to the deputy public prosecutor in the near future.”
Meanwhile, Aidi said Alladin’s case is not the only case of such nature happening in Sarawak.
He said since the enforcement of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, a total of 260 cases involving sexual offences against children had been investigated by PDRM Sarawak from July 10, 2017 until Aug 31 this year.
“A total of 76 per cent of the cases have been charged in court, while three quarters of them have been sentenced to imprisonment. The rest are still in the trial process.
“The effort to curb this crime should not rely on one party only, but needs cooperation from various parties including law enforcement agencies both from within and abroad.
“At the same time, individuals and the community are encouraged to lodge reports on any crime activities happening around them,” said Aidi.