PETALING JAYA: An immigration raid at a restaurant and bar here led to the arrest of 11 foreigners.
The operation on Friday (August 1) followed a week-long surveillance and public complaints.
"During the raid, all foreigners at the premises attempted to flee and hide to avoid capture. Around 20 people were inspected, and 11 Sri Lankans, including nine women and two men, were caught," the Immigration Department said in a statement on Saturday (Aug 2).
Checks showed that none of those caught were victims of human trafficking, based on the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators (NGHTI) 2.0.
"Preliminary investigations showed no signs of exploitation towards the women, and no offences under the Atipsom Act 2007 were identified.
"All the women arrested were between 20 and 33 years old and had worked at the premises for around a year with a pay of RM2,000 a month. Based on their verbal confessions, almost all passports were held by their employer before they were allowed to work there.
"The modus operandi showed that the Sri Lankan women were hired as servers to entertain customers," it said.
Checks also showed that the premises had been raided multiple times in the past, with action taken by the authorities. However, operations continued.
"All those arrested have been brought to the KLIA depot for further investigations and action," it said.
