JOHOR BARU: Some 492 foreign workers were detained and a factory manager arrested during an immigration raid at an automotive and electronics components factory in Tebrau, Johor.
The manager was arrested for allegedly harbouring migrants.
The joint operation by the Johor Immigration Department and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) began at 10am and ended at 12.30pm yesterday.
Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the authorities had received a tip-off that the factory had allegedly hired migrants to keep operating costs low.
"We mounted surveillance for several weeks before storming the factory.
"Some workers tried to flee and hide but were caught," he said in a statement today.
The detainees, aged between 19 and 46, comprised nationals from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Cambodia.
They were suspected of committing immigration offences, including working without valid authorisation or failing to produce valid documents.
All 492 detainees were taken to the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot.
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