JOHOR BARU: The Johor Immigration Department arrested 160 foreigners during separate raids in two districts here.
Johor Immigration Director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the first operation was carried out at five residential premises in a remote village near Mersing at 12.40am on Monday (Jan 26).
“During the raid, some employers and local individuals acted as intermediaries in rental arrangements to conceal the tenants’ true identities.
“Eleven foreigners aged between 22 and 45 were detained for various immigration offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 27).
He added that the detainees comprised five Pakistani men, three Indonesian men, two Bangladeshi men, and an Indonesian woman believed to be staying at the premises.
“All detainees have been placed at the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot for further investigation and action.
“We also issued two summonses to witnesses to assist in the investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, 149 foreign nationals believed to be working without valid documents were detained at a construction site in Seri Alam, Johor Baru, at 2pm on the same day.
Mohd Rusdi said the operation was carried out in a planned manner to detect violations of immigration laws, including the employment of foreigners without valid documents and the misuse of social visit passes.
“During the operation, the situation became chaotic as some workers attempted to flee and hide within the construction site.
“However, swift action by our officers successfully sealed all exit routes, preventing any escape attempts,” he said.
He added that the detainees comprised 104 Bangladeshi men, 21 Indonesian men, 13 Pakistani men, six Myanmar men, four Nepalese men, and an Indian man, all aged between 18 and 55.
“All detainees are suspected of committing offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963, and have been placed at the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot for further investigation and action.
“We also issued four summonses to witnesses to assist in the investigation,” he said.
