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SELAYANG Baru in Gombak was effectively sealed off on Saturday night as seven enforcement agencies mounted a coordinated crackdown aimed at dismantling what authorities described as a significant concentration of undocumented foreign nationals around the Selayang Market and Selayang Farmers’ Market.
The integrated operation, which began at approximately 8pm, saw 1,116 individuals screened and 843 detained for suspected immigration offences.
The exercise was organised by the Selangor State Security Committee and led by Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari in his capacity as the committee’s chairman.
The wide-ranging raid involved cooperation between the Malaysian Immigration Department, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Armed Forces, the National Registration Department, and local authorities.
Amirudin said the operation followed persistent public grievances over the proliferation of foreign workers and unlicensed commercial activity in the area.
“We have received many complaints and once the matter was raised, we acted. This location is a hotspot based on community reports and its status as a focal point for the economic activities of foreign nationals,” he said during a press conference after the operation concluded.
He added: “This operation is a firm reminder to everyone, including locals who employ foreign workers, to obey the law and obtain valid documentation.”
Also present were Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar and the Deputy Director-General (Operations) of Immigration, Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli.
Of those detained, 273 were released after producing valid travel documents. The remaining 843—comprising 808 men and 35 women—were held on suspicion of lacking proper documentation or overstaying their visas.
According to Amirudin, the breakdown of nationalities among those detained included 647 individuals from Myanmar (617 men and 30 women), 102 from Nepal, 79 from Bangladesh, 15 from Indonesia (10 men and 5 women), and 10 from India. In addition to immigration violations, two Malaysian nationals tested positive for drugs in an initial screening.
He stressed that the objective of the exercise was not to victimise anyone but to uphold the law. Addressing concerns that some legal workers might have been detained because employers retained their documents, he urged such employers to come forward.
“It is possible that some of these workers have documents but they are being held by their employers. Employers may claim their workers tomorrow at the holding location or contact Immigration and the police for further action,” he said.
Amirudin warned employers to comply with legal hiring channels to avoid disruption to their business operations and to safeguard national security. - December 7, 2025