Melaka: Two young boys were among six Myanmar nationals detained by the Melaka Immigration Department for allegedly operating a grocery shop selling goods imported from Myanmar and alcoholic beverages during a raid at Taman Mewah, Kelemak, here today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Melaka Immigration director Anirwan Fauzee Mohd Aini stated that during the raid, conducted at about 10 am, four adults comprising three women and a man in their 40s were found to possess only passports, while the two boys, aged one and seven, had no valid travel or identity documents.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the premises were equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras both inside and outside and were believed to have been operating for about two years. Anirwan Fauzee mentioned that the shop's business licence was suspected to be part of an 'Ali Baba' arrangement, wherein a local licence holder fronts a business effectively operated by foreign nationals.
In the same operation, Anirwan Fauzee reported that three Indian men working at a mamak restaurant in Taman Seri Kelemak were also detained for allegedly overstaying in the country. The three men, aged in their 30s, were working as waiters, roti canai makers, and beverage preparers at the time of the raid.
The inspection of the restaurant uncovered a room suspected of being used for online gambling top-up activities. An Indonesian woman in her late 20s, who did not possess valid travel documents and was suspected of working as a salesperson for the online gambling top-up service, was also detained.
A total of 64 foreign nationals were checked during the operation carried out in the Alor Gajah and Melaka Tengah districts, with 40 detained for allegedly committing various immigration offences, including not possessing valid identification documents, breaching pass conditions, and overstaying. Those detained included 27 men, among them two children, and 13 women, comprising seven Indonesians, seven Bangladeshis, 14 Indians, eight Myanmar nationals, and four Nepalese, aged between one and 40.
Several foreign nationals attempted to flee into a nearby forest and crossed the road recklessly, putting themselves at risk, but all were successfully apprehended.