Johor bahru: The Immigration Department has detained 27 foreign nationals for immigration violations in a targeted operation at food premises in the district, conducted from 3 pm yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus stated that the detainees include 18 men and six women from Myanmar, along with one man each from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, aged between 19 and 46. The operation followed intelligence reports, surveillance activities, and public complaints about employers hiring and sheltering foreign nationals without valid travel documents and work permits.

Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus explained that the detained restaurant waiters and cooks are suspected of violating the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963. They have been transferred to the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot for further investigation.