KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Fifteen foreign nationals were detained by the Malaysian Immigration Department during a special operation to crack down on clandestine illegal gambling activities operated across four premises in Pandan Jaya early yesterday morning.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation, conducted at 12.01am, was the result of public information and a month-long intelligence gathering by a team of officers and personnel from the Intelligence and Special Operations Division of the Putrajaya Immigration Headquarters.
Among those detained were a Bangladeshi man and an Indonesian woman believed to have acted as premises caretakers and cashiers.
"Also detained were three Myanmar men, two Indonesian men, a Bangladeshi man, and an Indian man respectively, as well as six Indonesian women aged between 21 and 38," he said in a statement today.
Zakaria added that preliminary checks revealed that all the detained foreigners are believed to have committed immigration violations, including abusing passes, overstaying, and lacking valid travel documents or passes to reside in the country.
Also seized in the operation were seven Indonesian passports, 31 tablets, 15 mobile phones, employee schedule books, copies of premise rental agreements, and RM1,674 in cash believed to be proceeds from the activity.
He said the premises operated illegal gambling activities clandestinely under strict security controls, opening only to regular customers or known individuals.
"The premises were also equipped with a closed-circuit television system to monitor customer movements or the presence of authorities, while entry access was controlled using magnetic iron doors locked from the inside," Zakaria said.
The case is being investigated under Section 56(1)(d), Section 6(1)(c), and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, as well as Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
All those detained were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action.
Meanwhile, he said five local men were issued notices to appear at the Immigration office to assist with the investigation.
