The Immigration Department in Johor Baru conducted a raid at two illegal settlements in Gelang Patah and detained a total of 195 illegal immigrants, including five women. The operation, named Ops Sapu, started on Friday and ended on Saturday morning, resulting in the arrest of individuals aged between 19 and 69.
Johor Immigration Department director Baharuddin Tahir provided a breakdown of the nationalities of those detained during the six-hour operation. Among those arrested were 62 men from Myanmar, 55 men from Bangladesh, 28 men from India, 26 men and five women from Indonesia, 16 men from Pakistan, two men from China, and one man from East Timor. All of them were found to be without valid identification documents and passes.
The operation involved the checking of a total of 641 foreigners and locals, including individuals holding United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) cards. The settlements where the detainees were found were located deep within oil palm plantations. To ensure their escape from arrest, 15 containers had been strategically placed in the area since April of the previous year.
Following their apprehension, the detainees were taken to the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot for further processing. The case is currently under investigation and is being handled in accordance with Section 15(1)(c) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act.
