JOHOR BAHRU: A total of 85 foreigners were arrested by the Immigration Department in three raids in this district and Muar last Friday and Saturday.
Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the first raid at around 8.10 pm on Friday targeted eight premises operated by foreigners without licences in Taman Abad here.
He said 23 foreigners, comprising seven Pakistani men, three Indonesian men and three women, three Indian men, four Bangladeshi men, a Myanmar man, and a Singaporean man and a Palestinian man, who worked as an order-taker and shawarma maker respectively, were detained on suspicion of working without valid passes or permits and for lacking valid travel documents.
“These foreigners, aged between 20 and 53, are reasonably suspected of violating Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155), and Regulation 11(7)(a) of the Immigration Regulations 1963,“ he said in a statement today.
Another 19 foreigners, comprising five Bangladeshi men, one Bangladeshi woman, an Indian man, 10 Myanmar men, one Myanmar woman and one Indonesian woman aged 23 to 50, were detained in a raid on 10 premises in Muar on the same day.
“Initial investigations revealed that these foreigners had entered Malaysia using the Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS) but misused the pass to work elsewhere,“ he added.
Mohd Rusdi said a third raid on two pubs and bistros in Taman Mount Austin here on Saturday led to the detention of 43 foreigners, comprising two Thai men, 36 Thai women, three Myanmar men, a Vietnamese man, and a Laotian man, aged between 21 and 47.
Three local men, aged 19 to 52, who were the premises’ owners and caretakers, were also detained.
“The operation, conducted around 1.30 am, was carried out after it was believed that the premises were employing workers without valid passes or permits and engaging in immoral activities.
“Initial investigations revealed that these premises offered hostesses (GRO) to accompany customers for as little as RM50 and a take-home package for RM800 per night,” he added.
He said the foreign hostesses are also suspected of using aliases to evade enforcement, but their tactics were detected with various evidence found on the premises.
