503 foreigners, including 290 Bangladeshis, arrested in Malaysia raid

Malaysia's immigration department has arrested a total of 503 foreign nationals, including 290 Bangladeshis, in a raid across 18 locations on charges of violating immigration laws. The raids targeted businesses and organizations that illegally employ foreign workers.

In a statement on Monday (July 13), Malaysian Immigration Department Director-General Zakaria Shaban said that about 876 officials from the Immigration Department, National Registration Department, police and local government participated in the operation. During this time, a total of 2,260 people, including employers and foreigners, were checked. Later, 503 people were detained for violating immigration laws.

The detainees include 290 Bangladeshis, 101 Myanmar nationals, 66 Indonesians, 38 Nepalese, 36 Indians and 10 nationals from other countries. 95 of them are women. The detainees are between the ages of 21 and 52.

The Immigration Department said the detainees were charged with staying without valid documents, overstaying their visas, and violating visa conditions. Investigations revealed that many were working in other sectors, such as clothing stores, on construction work visas. In addition, several UNHCR cardholders were detained to verify the authenticity of their cards.

The detained persons have been sent to various immigration depots for further investigation and legal proceedings. At the same time, special notices (Borang-29) have been issued to 120 more people for their cooperation in the investigation.

Director-General Zakaria Shaban said more than 200 'hotspots' have been identified across the country to prevent illegal immigration, almost half of which are located in the Klang Valley area. He added that operations in these areas will continue.