The Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) has detained 69 foreign nationals during Ops Gegar conducted at an entertainment outlet in Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur, in the early hours of this morning, with many suspected of working illegally as guest relations officers (GROs).
According to Deputy Director-General (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli, a total of 198 individuals were inspected during the raid, with those detained comprising mainly nationals from Thailand, Vietnam and China.
He said preliminary findings showed the most common offence was misuse of social visit passes to work without valid employment permits, including involvement in GRO-related activities at the premises.
Firm action will also be taken against employers found to have illegally hired foreign workers, including prosecution if offences are proven, he added during a press briefing after the operation concluded earlier today.
The operation, which began around midnight, saw some foreign nationals attempting to flee upon detecting enforcement officers, including climbing ladders and hiding on rooftops, but their attempts were successfully thwarted.
The raid involved 89 immigration officers and was also joined by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, as well as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
During the operation, Customs officers also seized several bottles of liquor believed to have been an attempt to evade taxation.
Lokman Effendi said that from January to April 7 this year, JIM had conducted 106 Ops Gegar nationwide, inspecting more than 1,800 individuals and detaining 670 foreign nationals for various offences.
He added that Thailand, China and Vietnam were among the top three countries contributing to the highest number of arrests, accounting for more than 400 cases in total.
All 69 detainees from the latest operation have been sent to the Semenyih Immigration Depot in Selangor for further investigation.
