KUALA LUMPUR: The Indian High Commission has expressed concern over the reported round up by the police and Immigration Department on Sunday of 270 Indians, mostly IT professionals, at a condominium in Brickfields.
High Commissioner Veena Sikri said officials from the High Commission rushed to the Brickfields police station after being informed of their detention but were not allowed to see them. Police later relented.
The Indians claimed they were pulled out of their units in the high-rise condominium at 7am, handcuffed and ordered to sit down on the main road for about two hours before being taken away in a van to the Brickfields police station.
The Indians, who were released about 7pm, later presented a petition to the Commission for what they said was their “inhumane” detention.
One of the victims, T. Kiran Kumar, 29, alleged that some of them were kicked and slapped by the police.
“Majority of us are IT professionals working here,” he said.
City police chief Datuk Dell Akbar Khan confirmed a joint operation was conducted with the Immigration Department to detect illegal immigrants staying in the condominium.
He said several people who did not have valid documents were detained.
He said the police viewed the allegations of mistreatment seriously and would look into it.
Sikri said the commission had not received any official report as to why such a large number of Indians were detained.
“We would take this up with the Malaysian government. We view this very seriously,” she said, when contacted.
It is learnt that the operation was conducted following complaints from the condominium residents.
In New Delhi, AFP reports that the Malaysian High Commissioner Datuk Choo Siew Kioh was called in to the foreign office yesterday over the report.
“Depending on the clarification we receive from the Malaysian authorities, we will decide on further action,” foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.
“India has traditionally had excellent relations with Malaysia, and many Indian IT companies are looking at that country as a location for their activities,” Sarna added.
