IPOH: According to Perak Immigration director Meor Hezbullah Meor Abd Malik, a total of 158 out of the 358 migrants inspected at the Bercham Flats in Ipoh were detained for living in Malaysia without valid visas or permits, or for overstaying their allowed duration. The detainees consisted of 83 men, 54 women, 8 boys, and 3 girls, all aged between 9 and 60 years old. They hailed from countries such as Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
Meor Hezbullah mentioned that most of the individuals were renting apartments from local landlords, with approximately 560 units in 15 blocks being inspected during the operation. One of the detainees was identified as a 50-year-old Indonesian woman named Elriyanti, who had been working as a house cleaner without a permit for a year.
Elriyanti was part of the 158 individuals apprehended during a joint operation called Op Pintu, which involved 160 personnel from the state Immigration Department and the Ulu Kinta General Operations Force. The operation took place between 1 am and 3 am. Elriyanti, a mother of two children aged 14 and 16, revealed that she had previously worked in Penang but had relocated to Perak a month ago with the help of a friend.
During an interview after her detention, Elriyanti shared that she arrived in Perak by ferry, paying RM3,000 (10 million Indonesian rupiah). She worked as a house cleaner and earned RM2,000 per month. She also sent RM600 monthly to her family in Sumatra and paid a monthly rent of RM80 to her landlord, sharing the house with three other fellow countrymen.
Meor Hezbullah issued a warning to local homeowners, advising them not to rent their properties to foreigners without proper authorization. He highlighted that such actions could result in charges under Section 55 (E) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which carries a maximum fine of RM30,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both. Following the recent arrests, the Immigration Department will investigate every homeowner who rented their units to undocumented migrants, as stated by Meor Hezbullah.
