PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has detained 26 foreigners following a series of enforcement operations that began on National Day.
Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the operations were carried out by 20 officers from the Putrajaya Special Operations Unit on Tuesday (Aug 31) and Wednesday (Sept 1).
“Operations were conducted in Pudu, Puchong and Cyberjaya. First we conducted checks at a hotel in Pudu which was identified as a hotspot for prostitution activities.
“The premises had been raided several times before but these immoral activities continued there,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said during the raid, several foreigners tried to flee but were apprehended.
“We checked 63 individuals. Five Vietnamese women and seven Bangladeshi men were detained.
“We then conducted a raid on two residential units in Puchong and checked 21 individuals. Five Bangladeshi men, one Indonesian man and six Indonesian women were detained,” he said.
He added that the officers raided a community club at Cyberjaya on Wednesday and checked two men from Ghana who worked there.
“One of the men tried to escape by jumping into a lake.
“Our personnel also jumped in and managed to detain him,” he said, adding that both men were detained as they could not produce valid travel documents.
He said in total, 26 foreigners were held in the operations, while four locals were issued notices to have their statements taken at the Immigration Department.
“All of those detained have been taken to the Semenyih Immigration Detention Depot for further action under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Atipsom), Immigration Act, Passport Act and Immigration Regulations 1963,” he said.
