JOHOR BARU: An Indonesian woman claimed to be a Malaysian before attempting to flee an Immigration Department dragnet during a series of raids in Taman Tampoi Indah, here, on Sunday.
She ran off after her lie was uncovered, sprinting towards oncoming traffic and heading to several shops nearby.
The woman in her 30s, however, was caught a short while later.
She was among the 24 foreigners detained that day in the Immigration operation codenamed Op Kutip, aimed at undocumented foreigners working in the state.
State Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the woman initially refused to cooperate and provoked the officers during the inspection at Taman Tampoi Indah.
She then claimed to be a citizen, but bolted abruptly when the officers asked for her MyKad.
She was quickly detained after a short pursuit, and further checks revealed that she was an Indonesian but could not produce a valid passport.
Rusdi said a series of coordinated operations, including Op Selera, Op Dandan, Op Minyak, Op Kutip, and Op Belanja, were conducted at various premises in Taman Tampoi Indah, leading to the arrests of 24 foreigners from Myanmar, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Vietnam.
He said the detainees, including nine women aged between 20 and 45, were for in violation of immigration laws.
These, he said, included overstaying, breaching the conditions of their social visit passes by gaining employment and remaining in the country without valid documentation.
The officers also slapped 12 locals with notices to appear at the Immigration office to assist in investigations, for employing the foreigners.
Rusdi urged the public to report the presence of suspected undocumented migrants to the department via its hotline at 07-2338400.