Suspected Smuggler Feared Drowned After Jumping Into Golok River to Escape Arrest

Two men believed to be rice smugglers jumped into the Golok River near an illegal storage site in Pisau Raut, Tumpat, while trying to escape arrest. One reached the riverbank, but the other disappeared from view and was feared drowned.

The incident happened at about 3:25 p.m. after the men encountered General Operations Force personnel conducting a patrol under Op Taring Wawasan Kelantan. Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain, commander of the force’s Southeast Brigade, said officers from the 8th Battalion intelligence branch saw a pole-propelled motorboat approaching the riverbank and moved to inspect it.

The suspects reportedly panicked when they noticed the security personnel and jumped into the river, attempting to swim toward Thailand. Officers tried to use the boat to help the missing man, but its engine propeller became caught in fabric, leaving the boat unusable.

A search for the missing suspect continued with cooperation between Malaysian and Thai authorities. Officers found 1,178 kilograms of rice and 100 kilograms of glutinous rice on the boat. The seized goods were handed to Kelantan’s rice regulatory authority for further action under Section 20 of the National Paddy and Rice Control Act 1994.

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One suspect managed to reach the bank, while the other sank before disappearing from view and was feared drowned.