RANTAU PANJANG: The state Immigration Department yesterday detained 38 illegal immigrants who were travelling in seven 'road tour' vans to enter the country via the Kelantan-Thailand border here.
The illegal immigrants, including 16 women, were detained during an operation codenamed Op Serkap which started at 4pm yesterday.
Kelantan Immigration Department deputy director (management) Nik Akhtarulhaq Nik Abdul Rahman said all the suspects, aged between 16 and 60, arrested during the operation are from Thailand.
"During the operation, the officers stopped the 'road tour' vans at Rantau Panjang areas and found 22 men and 16 women inside the vehicles," he said in a statement.
All the undocumented migrants arrested during the operation, he said, were taken to the state Immigration Department's headquarters for further action.
It is understood that the foreigners had crossed into Kelantan via the Golok River early in the morning and were en route to other states to seek employment when they were apprehended.