Immigration raid uncovers undocumented migrants’ settlement in KL
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said 506 foreign nationals, including 58 women, were detained during inspections of 895 individuals, on suspicion of violating immigration laws.
KUALA LUMPUR - An undocumented migrant settlement in Medan Imbi, here, which includes a four-storey building with shop lots, was raided on Thursday.
The raid on the six building blocks was carried out by the Putrajaya and Negeri Sembilan Immigration Department (JIM) in collaboration with the National Registration Department (NRD) which began at 7.30pm.
Sinar Harian, which followed the operation closely, observed that each building block though rundown, dilapidated and poorly maintained, contained rental units occupied by foreign nationals, with rooms rented out at around RM600 each.
During the operation, several foreign nationals attempted to flee, with some hiding on rooftops and others pretending to be customers at nearby shops. A few individuals sustained injuries while trying to escape.
It was understood that some of those detained had tried to offer bribes to the enforcement officers, but these attempts were firmly rejected.
Authorities also uncovered online gamblng actvities taking place on a shoplot that appeared to be operating as a café, during the raid.
A female Indonesian worker in her 30s claimed that she was paid RM1,800 a month as an employee at the premises.
"This shop just opened. Every day, sometimes people (foreigners) come here to sit and play online gambling. They just sit and play on their phones. If they need to 'top-up,' we will assist them," she said after being detained by JIM.
Meanwhile, Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said 506 foreign nationals, including 58 women, were detained during inspections of 895 individuals, on suspicion of violating immigration laws.
He said the largest number of arrests involved Bangladeshis, followed by Nepalese, Indonesians, Indians and Sri Lankans.
"The violations included not having valid identification documents, breaching the conditions of their permits and overstaying," he said during a press conference after the operation.
He also stressed that enforcement efforts will continue to ensure that foreign nationals in these areas comply with local immigration rules.
"We will not stop here. Areas known to be hotspots for foreign nationals will be continuously monitored, with unannounced inspections carried out throughout the year," he said.
Zakaria also shared that as of April 16, this year, JIM had conducted 3,870 operations and inspected 52,318 individuals.
“From these operations, a total of 491 employers and 22,486 undocumented migrants have been detained," he added.
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