The Kedah Immigration Department arrested 81 illegal immigrants during an enforcement operation at a construction site in Kuala Kedah yesterday.
In a statement issued today, the department said the operation was carried out following intelligence gathering and public information to detect foreign nationals suspected of violating Malaysia’s immigration laws.
The operation began at about 9.50am and involved 19 officers from the Immigration Enforcement Division’s Action Unit.
A total of 127 individuals, including Malaysians, were screened during the raid, resulting in the detention of 81 suspected illegal immigrants for further investigation.
Those detained comprised 73 men and eight women, including 42 Bangladeshis, 26 Indonesians, 10 Myanmar nationals, one Pakistani and two Indian nationals.
According to the department, the detainees are suspected of committing various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963, including entering and remaining in Malaysia without valid travel documents or permits, overstaying, and breaching the conditions of their immigration passes.
During the same operation, authorities also issued a Witness Summons (Form 29) to assist in the ongoing investigation.
All detainees were taken to the Kedah Immigration Department for documentation before being transferred to an Immigration Depot for further investigation and enforcement action.
The department stressed that enforcement operations against illegal immigration offences will continue without compromise and warned that strict action would also be taken against employers or individuals found hiring or harbouring illegal immigrants.
