KUCHING: Five women are among 46 foreign nationals arrested in a series of coordinated raids held around the city here and Sri Aman early this week.
According to the Sarawak Immigration Department, all of the detainees were caught for overstaying, lacking valid travel documents, and failing to secure proper permits to stay in Malaysia.
The operations, codenamed ‘Ops Sapu’, ‘Ops Selera’ and ‘Ops Mahir’, were launched following intelligence gathered by the department.
Raids were conducted at four construction sites along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway, Jalan Datuk Mohamad Musa, and Jalan Astana in Sri Aman, and two eateries in Demak Laut and Pending.
Between Monday and early Tuesday morning, the Kuching Immigration Enforcement Unit checked the documents of 88 individuals of various nationalities, and 46 of them were taken into custody.
In addition, two employers were issued notices to come forward and to assist in investigations.
The breakdown of arrests reveals 18 individuals detained from a shared residence at a construction along Kuching-Samarahan Expressway; 18 from two construction sites at Jalan Datuk Mohamad Musa; five arrested from a construction site along Jalan Astana in Sri Aman; and five arrested from two eateries in Demak Laut and Pending.
All of the detainees are being investigated under the Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
In light of this, the public is encouraged to report any information regarding the presence of undocumented migrants in their areas through online channels or directly to the nearest Immigration Enforcement Office.
Reports can be submitted via email to aduanpati_hq@imi.gov.my, through the website at https://imi.spab.gov.my or calling the hotline at 03-88801347.
