By Balqis Jazimah Zahari
Photo: JIM Perak
IPOH: The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) Perak managed to arrest 30 Illegal Immigrants (PATI) in an Ops Pintu raid at a shop lot business premises in Ipoh here today.
The operation with the strength of 18 immigration officers from the Perak JIM Enforcement Division was carried out at around 7.30pm and ended at 9.30pm.
Perak State Immigration Director, Hapdzan Husaini said the raid was carried out based on information from the public and department investigation.
“A total of 30 people consisting of 26 men and four women were examined, all of whom are Myanmar.
“All of them aged between 18 and 45 are reasonably believed to have committed an offense under the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said in a statement here today.
Hapdzan said, upon arrival at the scene the team had to break the door because the occupants refused to open the door after being asked several times.
“The presence of the operation team at the location caused them to run away and try to hide behind the door, in the toilet and also on the roof of the house.
“However, all of them failed to escape due to the efficiency of the operation team who managed to close all the spaces by surrounding the premises,” he said.
He said, then all the occupants of the premises were checked and questioned at the scene and almost half of them were found to have just entered Malaysia through the Malaysia-Thailand border without any valid travel documents.
“Also arrested was a trusted Myanmar citizen the custodian of the premises along with cash amounting to approximately RM40,000 found on him,” he said.
He added that it is believed that the premises are a transit location for PATI who are smuggled by smuggling syndicates before they are handed over with payment from employers who are interested in employing them.
“It is based on the amount of cash found and preliminary information from the arrested illegal immigrants.
“A number of copies of foreign passports were also confiscated at the scene in the custody of the caretaker of the premises,” he said.
He said, all the arrests were investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 which is entering and being in Malaysia without any valid passport and under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and under the Passport Act 1966.
