JOHOR BARU, Feb 8 — Over the past two days, the Immigration Department conducted 19 raids at hotspots in the city, Batu Pahat, and Muar, resulting in the detention of 42 foreigners.

State Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir announced that a total of 52 premises were raided by a collaborative team of officers from the Johor Immigration’s Enforcement Division, along with the Muar and Batu Pahat Branches’ Enforcement Units.

There were 26 Myanmar nationals, six Bangladeshis, five Indonesians, three Nepalese, one Indian national, and one Vietnamese, who were detained on suspicion of working and living in Malaysia without valid passports or permits and overstaying, he said.

"The detainees were 29 men, 11 women, and two boys, all ranging from three to 52 years old.

"The raids were a result of public tip-offs on the presence of foreigners living and working illegally in these locations,” he said in a statement today.

The case is being investigated under Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155), and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Baharuddin stated that the Johor Immigration Enforcement Division apprehended eight foreigners in Pontian during a collaborative operation with the Pontian Municipal Council following public tip-offs, yesterday.

He said a total of 11 premises were raided and the detainees were from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, and India, between 20 and 45 years old.

The case is being investigated under Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155). — Bernama