Kota bharu: The Kelantan Immigration Department has detained 18 illegal immigrants in an operation named Ops Minyak/Belanja, which was carried out in the Kota Bharu and Pasir Puteh areas on Thursday. The operation was spearheaded by the department’s director, Mohamed Yusoff Khan Mohd Hassan, and involved 27 officers from the Kelantan Immigration enforcement division. The focus was on areas, such as supermarkets in the two districts, that have a high concentration of foreign nationals.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the operation commenced at around 4 pm, based on intelligence reports indicating activities involving the employment of foreign nationals who had violated visa conditions and overstayed in Malaysia. During inspections at several premises, 18 male foreign nationals were detained for their involvement in various immigration offences.

The individuals detained included 15 Bangladeshis, two Pakistanis, and one Myanmarese, all aged between 20 and 50 years old. They are currently being held at the Tanah Merah Immigration Depot for further investigations under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which pertains to overstaying in the country.