The immigration department arrested 770 undocumented migrants in a raid around Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, last night.
The operation, dubbed Op Belanja, involved 106 officers and members of the Putrajaya immigration department and also uncovered foreigners taking part in online gambling activities, Harian Metro reported.
Immigration enforcement director Basri Othman said those detained, aged between 21 and 65, were picked up after checks on 2,445 people, including locals.
“Eight women and 762 men were detained, with 37 men from Bangladesh, 235 men from Myanmar, 72 men from Nepal, 58 men from India, and 17 men and two women from Indonesia. Another nine were of other nationalities.
“We raided restaurants, shops and houses after receiving two or three complaints over the past three weeks about activities in this area, before carrying out the operation,” he was quoted as saying at a press conference.
Basri said those detained either lacked valid personal documents, had overstayed or were found in possession of fake identity cards.
They were taken to the Putrajaya immigration office for initial screening before being sent to detention depots for further action, he added.
“The case is being investigated under Section 15(4) and Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 as well as the Immigration Regulations 1963,” he said.
