Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang area saw a major immigration raid on Sunday night, where Malaysian authorities detained 770 foreigners, including 377 Bangladeshi nationals.
According to state news agency Bernama, the Immigration Department (JIM) carried out the operation at a building on Jalan Bedara, where many foreigners were found gambling.
As officers stormed the premises, several tried to flee—some attempting to climb upstairs, others hiding under tables or in nearby shops. However, all were eventually detained.
Basri Usman, Director of JIM’s Enforcement Division, said the raid followed complaints from local residents, who had expressed unease over the increasing presence and activities of foreigners in the area over the past three weeks. The operation, codenamed Op Belanja, was conducted between 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm with the participation of 106 officers.
During the raid, officers searched 2,445 people, including 1,600 foreigners and 845 locals. Of them, 770 foreigners were arrested for various immigration violations, including overstaying, possessing fake documents, or lacking valid travel papers.
Those detained include 377 Bangladeshi men, 235 men from Myanmar, 72 Nepalese, 58 Indians, 17 Indonesians, two women, and nine others from various countries. The detainees, aged between 21 and 65, were taken to the JIM office in Putrajaya for verification before being transferred to detention centers in Bukit Jalil and Lenggeng.
Basri noted that the offenses fell under multiple provisions of Malaysia’s Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
He warned that employers or individuals who shelter undocumented migrants would also face legal action, urging the public to report information about illegal migrants to assist future operations.
