Immigration authorities uncover a tactic where illegal immigrants working in cities rent cheap rural homes to avoid detection, leading to 73 arrests in Hulu Selangor.
HULU SELANGOR: The Immigration Department has uncovered a tactic where illegal immigrants working in urban areas rent homes in rural locations to avoid detection.
Selangor Immigration Department director Khairrul Aminus Kamaruddin said the operation targeted an old apartment in Bukit Beruntung, where some tenants commuted up to 65 kilometres daily for work.
“Low rents of RM400 to RM600 and the influence of fellow countrymen were key reasons foreign workers chose rural areas,” he said at a press conference.
He added they often lived in groups with family or documented compatriots.
Most lived in family groups of four to six, while single workers shared homes in groups of six to seven.
Some worked as security guards or construction labourers outside the residential area, including in Kuala Lumpur.
The integrated operation, held from 8.30 pm to 1 am, screened 188 foreign nationals.
It was conducted in collaboration with the National Anti-Drug Agency, National Registration Department, and Hulu Selangor Municipal Council.
Khairrul Aminus said 73 individuals were arrested for suspected immigration offences.
The detainees comprised 26 Pakistani men, 19 Myanmar men, six Bangladeshi men, four Nepalese men, one Indian man, and 17 Pakistani women.
“Most had no valid travel documents and are being probed under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said.
Others are suspected of overstaying under Section 15(1)(c) of the same act.
All detained foreign nationals were taken to the Semenyih Immigration Detention Centre for further investigation.
The operation was launched after residents complained about some foreigners allegedly causing disturbances.
Specific complaints included public drinking and making excessive noise.
