377 Bangladeshis among 800 illegal immigrants detained in Malaysia

At least 377 Bangladeshi nationals are among nearly 800 undocumented migrants detained in a special operation by the Immigration Department in Bukit Bintang, Malaysia, last night.

The integrated "Ops Belanja" operation, conducted from 7:30pm to 10:30pm, targeted undocumented migrants following weeks of public complaints,, said Immigration Department Enforcement Division Director Basri Othman.

During the raid at Jalan Bedara, enforcement officers also uncovered an online gambling den equipped with a CCTV monitoring system.

"When the authorities broke down the door of the premises, seven foreigners were still busy engaged in online gambling, unaware of the presence of the operation personnel. They were all detained," Basri said at a press conference after the raid.

Checks were conducted on 2,445 individuals, including 1,600 foreigners and 845 locals, he said. Of them, 770 foreigners were detained for various immigration offences, such as not having identification documents, overstaying, and possessing unrecognised cards or passes.

Those detained include 377 Bangladeshi men, 235 Myanmar men, 72 Nepalese men, 58 Indian men, 17 Indonesian men and two women, as well as three men and six women from other countries, according to the report.

The detainees, aged between 21 and 65, were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Department for initial screening before being placed at the Bukit Jalil and Lenggeng Immigration Depots for further investigation.

Among the offences detected were under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying, Section 6(1)(c) for not having valid travel documents, and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963. They were also investigated under the Passport Act 1966 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

Basri reminded the public and employers not to protect illegal immigrants, warning that legal action could be taken against those aiding them.

"The public who have information on illegal immigrants can channel information to JIM to assist in the implementation of enforcement operations," he added.