BINTULU: The Sarawak Immigration Department arrested 53 individuals of various foreign nationalities in two operations on Wednesday.
The operations dubbed ‘Ops Sapu’ and ‘Ops Belanja’ targeted industrial areas, convenience stores and rental rooms as well as houses around Bintulu town, Samalaju and Tanjung Kidurong.
Acting on complaints and gathered intelligence, the Bintulu Immigration Enforcement Unit examined a total of 72 individuals for their documentation and of these, 53 were taken into custody.
The foreign detainees, comprising 41 men and 12 women, were found to be overstaying, lacking valid travel documents and lacking valid permits to stay in Malaysia.
All of them are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
Following this, the department assured that continuous efforts will be made to locate and arrest foreigners and employers found to be violating immigration laws.
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.