95 Bangladeshis among 326 Held in Malaysia

Malaysian immigration police have arrested 95 Bangladeshi nationals among 326 illegal immigrants during a raid by the country's immigration department, reports media.

The raid was carried out in the area of ​Jalan Eco Majestic on Thursday night, the country's local security forces said.

In this regard, Director General of the Immigration Department of Malaysia, Dato' Indera Khairul Dzaimee Bin Daud said that 326 foreigners were detained in the drive. After checking documents, 297 people have been arrested.

Most of the foreigners are believed to be working as construction workers in the manufacturing sector. However, some of them have their own business, he added.

According to Police, the detainees included 94 Indonesian men and 28 women, 95 Bangladeshis, 66 Myanmar nationals, six Vietnamese men and seven women, and one Ghana national. 

Khairul Dzaimee said the operation was based on complaints from locals in the area, adding that overcrowding was disrupting hygiene, which violated the Housing and Employees Benefits Act, or the minimum standard of Act 446.

Employers will be fined 50,000 ringgit for non-compliance with Act 446. Earlier, the recruiting officers were fined 3,50,000 ringgit for violating the law, he added.

Meanwhile, the detainees have been remanded at the Simonia Immigration Depot for 14 days for further investigation.

Immigration police said the detainees had committed an offence under section 6 (1) as they have no valid documents.