KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The Immigration Department detained 15 foreigners and a local couple in an integrated operation targeting retail and restaurant outlets suspected of employing undocumented workers in Brickfields last night.
Kuala Lumpur immigration director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said 47 individuals were inspected during the operation, which began at 9pm, resulting in the arrest of 13 Bangladeshi men and two Pakistani men, aged between 20 and 50.
“One of the Bangladeshi men is believed to be the employer of the foreign workers, and is being investigated along with the local couple for allegedly harbouring the workers.
“Preliminary investigations revealed the foreign workers had misused temporary work visit passes and were found at the premises without valid identification documents,” he told the press after the operation ended at 12am.
During the raid, some of the foreign nationals tried to pose as customers to evade detection, but their cover was quickly uncovered by the enforcement team.
Saupee said one of the premises raided also had hostel-like facilities in the back, believed to be used to house the workers.
“Most of the foreign workers held permits for employment in the construction sector, but were instead hired for roles such as cashiers, slaughterhouse workers, cooks and others, earning between RM50 and RM100 per day,” he said.
The foreigners are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963, while the three employers are under Section 56(1)(d) of the same Act.
— Bernama
