Mass immigration sweep in Kuala Lumpur detains 472 undocumented workers

On a weekend, Kuala Lumpur’s immigration authorities launched Op Bersepadu Mega, a coordinated sweep involving the Immigration Department, National Registration Department, Companies Commission, Fire and Rescue, City Hall, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and Health Ministry. Starting at 11 am on Lebuh Pudu, officers screened roughly 2,500 foreigners, detaining 472 people—439 men and 33 women aged 18 to 62—who lacked valid identification or had overstayed.

The operation also exposed an upper-floor premises used for prostitution, a fraudulent medical clinic, and forced entry into several locked businesses and workers’ hostels. Detainees, including nationals from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, China, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, were transferred to the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot. One detained Indonesian woman said she worked at an online gambling outlet earning RM1,800 a month. The raid left many local premises empty as some attempted to evade officers by posing as customers at money-changing stalls.