A business premises believed to have been operating behind the cover of a grocery shop to conceal an illegal gambling operation was raided by the Immigration Department (JIM) in Taman Serdang Perdana, Seri Kembangan, yesterday.
The operation, conducted at about 3pm, followed a month-long intelligence-gathering exercise and resulted in the detention of six foreign nationals aged between 20 and 45.
JIM said those detained comprised an Indonesian woman believed to be the premises caretaker, three Bangladeshi men and two other Indonesian women.
Initial checks found that the caretaker had overstayed in Malaysia, while the other five foreign nationals were unable to produce valid passes or travel documents authorising their stay in the country.
During the raid, enforcement officers seized eight tablets, an Indonesian passport, a Surat Perjalanan Laksana Pasport (SPLP), a copy of the business licence and gambling vouchers.
JIM said the premises was suspected of using the grocery shop as a cover to conceal the gambling activities and avoid detection by the authorities.
The premises was believed to have operated from 9am until 3am the following day, with the gambling activities allegedly having been conducted for about four months.
The caretaker is being investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the other five foreign nationals were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the same Act.
All six individuals were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action as authorities continue investigations into the suspected operation.
