Immigration arrests 17 in JB for staying, working in Malaysia without proper documents

JOHOR BARU: A total of 17 illegal immigrants were arrested by the Immigration Department for working and staying in the country without proper documents.

Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said the arrests were made during a raid on 20 premises in the city centre at 11.40am on Tuesday (May 14).

“The operation was conducted based on a public tip-off informing us about the presence of illegal immigrants who were staying in the country.

“During the operation, 87 people were inspected, and 17 of them were detained,” he said in a statement here on Wednesday (May 15).

Baharuddin added that the arrests consisted of two men, four women, and a child from Indonesia; two men and a woman from Myanmar; three men from Pakistan; two men from Bangladesh; a man from India; and a woman from the Philippines.

“Those arrested are aged between 9 and 56 years old; while a 25-year-old man from India was detained under Section 55E of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for hiring foreign workers without a legal permit,” he added.

The case is being investigated under 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.

It is also being investigated under Rule 11(7)(a) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for violating the social visit pass (PLS).