165 Bangladeshis arrested in Malaysian Immigration raid

A total of 506 undocumented foreign nationals, including 165 Bangladeshi citizens, were arrested in a major immigration raid conducted by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (April 17).

The operation took place in the Medan Imbi business area, a location known for its concentration of migrant workers.

According to a report by the *New Straits Times*, 165 of those detained were from Bangladesh, while 124 were from Nepal. Among the total arrests, 58 were women—though none of them were Bangladeshi nationals.

At a press conference following the operation, Immigration Department Director-General YBHJ Dato Zakaria bin Shaban stated that immigration officers had checked the documents of 895 individuals during the raid. Of these, 749 were foreign nationals and 146 were Malaysian citizens. After verification, 506 foreign nationals were taken into custody on suspicion of violating immigration laws.

The detainees, aged between 25 and 65, face various charges including lacking valid identification, overstaying, breaching visa terms, and holding unauthorized or fraudulent documents. The official also noted that during the raid, some individuals attempted to evade arrest by hiding in residential areas, storerooms, and even toilets.

The operation was conducted by a task force of 185 personnel from the Immigration Department Headquarters, Negeri Sembilan Immigration Department, and other agencies including the National Registration Department.

Authorities stated that legal action will be taken against the offenders as per Malaysia’s immigration laws.