The Immigration Department in Malaysia has arrested a total of 206 foreign individuals, including 132 Bangladeshis, for allegedly violating the terms of their pass.
The arrest was made during a raid dubbed 'Ops Mahir' at a construction site in Pasir Gudang at 10:20am on Friday, said Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir.
"The operation was conducted based on public tip-off, and a total of 530 foreigners and locals were inspected during the raid.
"Of this number, 206 foreigners were arrested for violating their pass to enter the country," he said in a statement in Johor Baru on Saturday (27 April).
The arrests consisted of 132 men from Bangladesh, 51 men from China, 10 men from Myanmar, six men from Pakistan, three men from Indonesia, two men from Vietnam, and two women from China, added Baharuddin.
"Those arrested are aged between 18 and 61. We have also arrested a local man to help with the investigation," he said, adding that the raid was conducted by 90 enforcement officers from the Immigration Department.
They will be probed under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act of 1959/63 for entering the country without valid travel documents and overstaying.
It is also investigated under Rule 17(b) and Rule 11(7)(a) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for violating the requirement of their visit pass and violating the social visit pass (PLS).
The local man is being investigated under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for harbouring illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, a total of 43 illegal immigrants were arrested for not having a pass to enter the country during an operation in Senai, Kulai, said Baharuddin.
"The operation dubbed Ops Sapu and Ops Selera was conducted at midnight, and we raided 15 premises in the shoplot areas.
"There were individuals hiding in the building's balcony to avoid arrest, and one individual also tried to fool our enforcement team by pretending to be a customer at one of the premises.
"A total of 123 individuals were inspected, and 43 of them were arrested under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act of 1959/63.
"The arrests consist of 32 men and a woman from Bangladesh, two men and two women from Indonesia, three men and a woman from Myanmar, and a man and a woman from Nepal," he said.
In another case, Baharuddin informed that 16 illegal immigrants were arrested during joint operations conducted with the Iskandar Puteri City Council.
"There had been reports of illegal immigrant activities in the area, and during the operation, we managed to arrest six men from Bangladesh, six men from Indonesia, a man and a woman from Sri Lanka, a man from India, and a man from Pakistan.
"All of them are arrested under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act of 1959/63," he said.
