Immigration Dept raids illegal Puchong club, detains 16 foreigners

KUALA LUMPUR: Thirteen Nigerian men and three other foreigners were detained following a raid on an illegal entertainment outlet in Puchong.

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said the operation was conducted at about 12am on Friday (Sept 13) after two weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.

“We inspected 25 foreigners at the premises. We detained 13 Nigerian men, two Thai women, and a Ugandan woman aged between 25 and 47. They were detained for not having valid documents or passes,” he said in a statement on Saturday (Sept 14).

The foreigners were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act.

“We conducted the operation following complaints from the public about foreigners partying and disturbing the peace of nearby residents. During the raid, some patrons, who were intoxicated, tried to provoke enforcement officers by shouting at them. Others attempted to escape but were thwarted,” he said.

All those detained were sent to the Immigration depot in Bukit Jalil.

“The premises raided was a shoplot illegally converted into an entertainment outlet. It catered mostly to African clientele and operated from 7pm until 2am. Some patrons even brought in their own foreign women to be hostesses,” he said.

Ruslin said such operations would continue to be conducted in the future.

“We will take stern action against those who violate laws, including the Immigration Act and Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007,” he said.