JOHOR BARU: A total of 77 undocumented migrants were detained at a vegetable packing hub and restaurants here for working without valid documents.
Johor Immigration Department director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said a raid on the vegetable packing hub at around 10am on Tuesday (April 28) saw 38 people detained.
"This was a result of weeks of surveillance on employers suspected of hiring undocumented workers to reduce labour costs.
"Those detained were 27 Indonesian men, one Chinese man and 10 Indonesian women, aged between 18 and 54.
"We also detained a local man, believed to be the manager, for allegedly harbouring the workers," he said in a statement on Wednesday (April 29).
Separately, Rusdi said Immigration officials also detained 39 foreigners who worked as waiters and cooks at several food outlets at a shopping mall here.
"The foreigners from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Indonesia were detained for various offences, including not having valid passes and abusing social visit passes for employment," he said, adding that the suspects are aged between 19 and 46.
A local man working as a human resource manager was also detained to assist in investigations.
All detainees have been placed at the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot for investigations under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963, Rusdi added.
