KUALA LUMPUR: A raid by the Immigration Department on a nightclub in Kepong Baru last night sent dozens of foreign guest relations officers (GROs) fleeing in all directions in an attempt to avoid capture.
The women, dressed and dolled up for the night, scrambled to hide as enforcement officers stormed the premises. Some hid behind stairwells and inside storerooms, while two locked themselves in a back room and hid under a rack, hoping to evade discovery.
Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said the raid was conducted around 11pm following two weeks of surveillance, based on a tip-off.
"We screened a total of 80 people and detained 35 foreigners," he said at the scene.
Those detained included 19 women from Thailand, seven from Vietnam, and two from Myanmar. Additionally, seven foreign men working illegally at the nightclub were also arrested.
"We believe these women were working as GROs. We also detained six Bangladeshi men and one Indonesian, in the raid," Wan Saupee said.
He said among the offences were harbouring illegal immigrants, not having valid documents, overstaying, and failing to comply with permit regulations.
Officers also discovered several sashes believed to be used for tipping the GROs, as well as tokens of various denominations, used in the same way. Wan Saupee noted that each sash and token represented different amounts.
"Those detained will be taken to the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot for further action," he said.
In addition to the foreign nationals, five Malaysian men and three Malaysian women, believed to be 'handlers' or 'mummies' for the GROs, were also arrested.
Wan Saupee warned the public against hiring or sheltering illegal immigrants, saying that those who did so faced legal consequences.