JOHOR BARU: A total of 96 illegal immigrants, including a five-year-old child, were detained by the Immigration Department in a series of raids, here.
Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said the first raid was conducted on Wednesday (Feb 7) and Thursday (Feb 8) under Ops Mahir, Ops Selera, and Ops Sapu.
"We have inspected 17 premises, whose owner is believed to have hired foreign workers without a legitimate working pass or permit.
"A total of 126 people were inspected, and 54 of them have been detained, aged between five and 48.
"Those detained include 22 men and five women from Myanmar, seven men from Bangladesh, eight men, a woman and a female child from Indonesia, three Nepalese men, and three men from Pakistan," he said in a statement here on Friday (Feb 9).
Baharuddin added that the department has also arrested four local men, aged between 25 and 46, believed to be the employers of the immigrants.
Meanwhile, in a second raid on Thursday, Baharuddin informed that a total of 24 illegal immigrants, aged between 20 and 52, were arrested for working without a permit at a premise in Johor Baru.
"The arrest was made at 9.55pm following a public complaint regarding a premise that went viral on TikTok.
"The arrests consist of 13 men and two women from Indonesia, four men from Yemen, and five men from Pakistan," he said.
The third raid was conducted on Friday between 12.25am and 2.30am and a total of 18 people were arrested, he added.
"The raid was conducted under Ops Sapu, where we have inspected 10 premises.
"A total of 95 people were inspected, and 18 of them were later arrested. They consist of three Bangladeshi men, nine men, one woman from Indonesia and five men from Pakistan," he said.
All cases are investigated under Section 55B of the Immigration Act of 1959 for hiring foreign workers without a permit, Section 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations of 1963 for abuse of social visit passes, and Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act of 1959/63 for overstaying and entering the country without valid travel documents.
While the locals were investigated under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for harbouring illegal immigrants.
