KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — An illegal settlement located in the forest in Segambut Dalam here that housed more than 100 immigrants was raided by the Immigration Department during the four-hour ‘Op Sapu’ earlier today.

Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department Intelligence and Operations Unit chief Mohd Sharulnizam Ismail said during the raid at a location about 500 metres in the forest, starting at 1.30am, 80 illegal immigrants were detained for various offences.

"117 people were searched and 80 of them were arrested, including 70 men and 10 women.

"All those arrested are 42 Bangladeshis, 37 Indonesians and one is from Vietnam,” he told reporters after the operation.

He said the illegal immigrants, aged 20 to 45, to be taken to the Kuala Lumpur Immigration headquarters for further action.

The immigrants were arrested for various immigration offences such as overstaying and not having valid documents and the cases were investigated under Section 6 (1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 15 (1) C of the same Act, he said.

He added that the settlement was believed to have been built in the past three years and the raid was the first time carried out at the location.

The 50-door settlement complete with water and electricity supply, was mainly erected from woods and zinc and there were also employers of those illegal immigrants who built container homes at the premises.

"All of them are believed to be working in the surrounding area including at the construction sites and there is also a surau and canteen built here. In addition, there are some chickens and roosters reared, believed for cockfighting activities,” he said. — Bernama