KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department today detained more than 80 illegal immigrants during a raid at an illegal settlement at Bukit Prima Pelangi, Segambut Dalam here.
The 3am raid saw between 80 and 100 houses in the settlement ambushed, and more than 80 immigrants comprising Indonesians and Bangladeshis detained.
Those arrested range in age from just six months to 50.
It is believed that upon realising that the settlement was being raided, many immigrants without documentation went into hiding.
Several illegal immigrants were found to have hidden in nearby bushes, while one man was found hiding between the tyres of a concrete mixer truck which was parked in the compound.
Several others even risked their lives by attempting to flee along the slope of a steep hill, but they were nabbed by Immigration personnel who were on standby at the hillside.
City Immigration Department Enforcement Department chief Mohamed Yusoff Khan Mohd Hassan said the location has been on the department's radar for a quite a while.
"Previously, we conducted several operations (here) and managed to detain hundreds… but there are still illegal immigrants here.
"The operation to weed out illegal immigrants will continue here and in the city," he told the press during the operation.
It is believed that the immigrants had been living at the settlement, which was previously a small construction site, for the past four years.
As of 6am, personnel from Immigration, the General Operations Force (GOF), the Civil Defence Force and the National Registration Department were still tracking down illegal immigrants in the area.
The raid is part of the nationwide operation ‘Ops Mega’, launched following the end of the registration process for the Enforcement Card (E-Card).
Errant employers and foreign workers who failed to apply for E-Cards will face stern action under the Immigration Act.