Malaysian immigration authorities have arrested 32 foreign nationals, including five Bangladeshis, on various charges related to unlawful immigration from two districts in the Johor state.
The raids were conducted in Johor Baru and Batu Pahat districts on Monday, Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said Tuesday.
“The detainees comprised eight Indonesian men, eight Indonesian women, five Bangladeshi men, five Indian men, four Myanmar men, a Pakistani man and a Myanmar woman,” he added.
“(In total) Checks were conducted on 96 individuals at food and beverage outlets, car wash centres and residential areas,” the official said.
The raids were results of a week of intelligence gathering, and people’s tip-off provided through official complaint filing channels, he said in a statement.
He said the detainees are aged 19 to 52 and were arrested for various immigration offences.
“Offences included not possessing valid travel documents, misusing temporary work visit passes, working without authorisation and overstaying,” he said.
Mohd Rusdi said all detainees are held at the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot for investigation under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963.
