PETALING JAYA: Almost 100 foreign workers from 24 businesses in Puchong were detained in a massive raid by the Immigration Department on Wednesday (April 23).
Its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation, which began at 10.30am and involved 54 officers, included raids on grocery stores, food and beverage outlets, salons, car wash services, and clothing retailers.
He said that these foreign worker-dominated premises had been operating openly without fear of enforcement by the authorities, according to intelligence gathered over the previous two days.
Zakaria said a total of 332 foreign workers were inspected during the operation, which led to 94 of them, aged between 23 and 35, detained for various immigration offences.
“Those detained include foreign nationals from Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Yemen, Vietnam, Egypt, Palestine, and India.
“Those detained were found to have committed various offences such as a lack of valid identification documents, overstaying in the country, and misuse of permits.
“They were also found to have violated other laws under the Immigration Act, the Passport Act and the Immigration Regulations,” he said in a press release on Thursday.
He said another 38 local workers at these businesses were also inspected in the operation.
Zakaria added that the foreign workers were believed to have been paid wages ranging from RM50 per day to RM1,500 per month, depending on their working hours and job roles.
“The foreigners are currently being held at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot as they await further action,” he said.
