THE suspected kingpin of a human smuggling ring that brought illegal immigrants from Johor into Singapore has been arrested in Malaysia.

Salam Awang, a 62-year-old Malaysian, was apprehended by police there and handed over to the Singapore authorities on Friday, said a Singapore Police statement last night.

The authorities here had issued a warrant for Salam's arrest in February, which was endorsed and executed by the Malaysian authorities.

Salam's ring of human smugglers is alleged to have brought illegal immigrants into Singapore from Johor by sea.

On March 14, his son, P. Ramlee Salam, 28, died in a late-night boat chase near Singapore.

The speedboat that he was in collided with a Singapore Police Coast Guard boat when the suspected smugglers engaged in a 'series of reckless manoeuvres to evade capture', said the statement.

His death is still being investigated separately and will be the subject of a separate Coroner's inquiry.

Read the full report in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.