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KUALA LUMPUR: Several undocumented migrants threw a machete, climbed on rooftops and even hid in water tanks, but were unable to evade arrest during Immigration Department raids here early Wednesday (Jan 14).
A total of 150 foreigners were detained in Ops Kutip, carried out at an apartment block in Selayang and an illegal settlement along Old Klang Road.
Immigration deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said the Selayang raid was carried out from 12.30am to 2am by 52 officers, following two weeks of intelligence gathering and public tip-offs.
"A total of 326 individuals were screened and 79 were detained for suspected immigration offences.
"The detainees comprise nationals from Indonesia (18 men, 21 women), Nepal (10 men), India (two men), Bangladesh (24 men, one woman), Pakistan (one man, one woman), and Myanmar (one man), aged between 17 and 55," he told a press conference at the scene.
He added that they were employed across various sectors, including as security guards, food stall assistants, laundry workers, convenience store attendants and construction labourers.
Inspections of the premises found typical three-room units overcrowded, with five to six occupants each, triggering concerns over sanitation, hygiene, and wider health and social risks, he said.
The second raid targeted an illegal settlement along Old Klang Road from 2.30am to 3.30am, following a week of intelligence gathering.
"Seventy-one foreigners were detained in this operation. They comprise Indonesians (33 men, 33 women), Myanmar nationals (two men, one woman), Indians (one man) and Pakistanis (one man)," Lokman Effendi said.
The settlement was found to have basic amenities, but the tenants reportedly did not know the landlord's identity.
The site also lacked a legal electricity supply, relying instead on unauthorised connections from nearby sources.
Lokman Effendi stressed that immigration enforcement in the capital would be comprehensive and uncompromising, targeting all violators to uphold national sovereignty.
"Enforcement will be applied to both illegal immigrants and those who hire them," he said.
The detainees from both raids are being investigated for offences under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for lacking a valid pass or permit, and Section 15(1)(c) for overstaying.
Also present was the Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff. – Bernama
