72 more Bangladeshis detained in Malaysia

Staff Correspondent

Malaysia’s immigration department has arrested a total of 402 illegal immigrants, including 72 Bangladeshis, in a series of raids in the states of Johor Bahru and Negeri Sembilan, which border Singapore.

This information was reported in news published in various Malaysian media outlets on the morning of Thursday, December 18th.

The detainees include 299 Myanmar nationals, 72 Bangladeshis, 22 Indians, three Indonesians, two Nepalis, and one Pakistani and one Filipino national each. There are also several other nationals.

Johor Bahru Immigration Department Director Datuk Mohammad Rushdi Mohammad Darus said 356 illegal immigrants were arrested during a raid at a computer factory in Johor Bahru on Tuesday. Two officials from the factory’s human resources department were also arrested for illegally hiring immigrants.

He also said that during the operation, joint law enforcement forces surrounded and closed all the gates of the factory when the migrants tried to escape.

Meanwhile, 46 illegal immigrants were arrested in a separate operation at an iron factory in the Nilai area of ​​Negeri Sembilan state. All of the detainees are Bangladeshi citizens.

Negeri Sembilan Immigration Department Director Kenneth Tan Ai Kiang said a total of 117 people were screened in the operation, which lasted more than four hours from 9am on Thursday. Of these, 46 Bangladeshis aged between 18 and 43 were detained.

Investigations are underway against the detained individuals under the Malaysian Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.