JOHOR BARU: The Immigration Department has detained 28 foreigners working at several restaurants here without valid permits.
Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said several eateries in the Taman Pelangi area were raided from 7pm on Sunday (Nov 9).
"The operation was carried out following public tip-offs and intelligence suggesting that several restaurants harboured and illegally employed foreigners.
"After checking for identification documents and work permits, we detained individuals aged 21 to 51 for various offences, including lacking valid travel documents, overstaying and misusing temporary work visit passes," he said in a statement on Monday (Nov 10).
Those detained comprised eight Myanmar men, five Pakistani men, four Indonesian men, two Filipino men, a Bangladeshi man, four Myanmar women, three Filipino women and an Indonesian woman.
"A local assistant restaurant manager was also detained for employing foreign workers without authorisation," he said, adding that the foreign detainees were sent to the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot to assist in investigations under the Immigration Regulations 1963 and the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Rusdi added that three notices were also issued to witnesses to assist in the investigation.
