JOHOR BARU: Twenty illegal immigrant workers were detained while carrying out renovation work at a commercial premises in Taman Mount Austin near here.
Johor Immigration Department director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said they were arrested in an operation codenamed Ops Kutip on Thursday (Feb 5) at 3pm.
He said the detainees were 14, comprising two Chinese male and female nationals and four males from Myanmar, aged 22 to 58 years.
“They tried to escape during the raid, but our men managed to apprehend them,” Mohd Darus said in a statement onSaturday (Feb 7).
He said the foreigners were nabbed for committing several offences, including working without work permits and not having valid documents to stay in the country.
Mohd Rusdi said the illegal immigrants had committed offences under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963, Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155), and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155).
“All of them are being placed at the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot here to assist with the investigation,” he said.
