KUALA TERENGGANU: Unwilling to be separated from her daughter, an Indonesian woman led immigration officers to raid her own home so her daughter could also be detained.
Both mother and daughter are now held together at a detention depot after being apprehended during the Op 'Sapu dan Selera' operation in Chukai, Kemaman, conducted by a team from the Terengganu immigration department.
The eight-hour operation began at 11am and targeted areas around Bandar Chukai.
The 39-year-old woman was detained at a café in a hotel on Jalan Abdul Rahman, Chukai, while her 18-year-old daughter was arrested while resting in their rented room at Kampung Gong Pauh, Chukai.
During interrogation, the woman admitted to entering Malaysia with her daughter on a social visit pass in June last year.
Out of concern for her daughter being left alone in the country, she voluntarily led the immigration officers to their home to detain her.
State Immigration Director Mohd Yusri Mohd Nor, said the pair were being investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying.
The Indonesian woman has been sent to the Ajil Immigration Detention Depot for further investigation.
"We have also issued a notice to a 53-year-old local woman, believed to be the employer of the detained Indonesian woman, to report to the state immigration office," he said.
Yusri added that the mother and daughter were among 46 foreigners detained for checks during the operation, which covered seven premises in the Bandar Chukai area.