45 migrant workers nabbed at factory set up by Bangladeshi

 

Inside the factory raided by the immigration department, where 45 workers, the factory operator and a Malaysian woman were arrested. (JIM pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: A Bangladeshi who operated a garment factory here, and 45 illegal immigrants, have been arrested on suspicion of using illegal temporary employment visit passes allegedly obtained through the ‘ID Hack’ syndicate.

Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the immigrants, aged between 17 and 67, comprised Bangladeshis, Indonesians and Myanmar nationals.

Also arrested was a 37-year-old Malaysian female director of the company, which is said to make sales of between RM130,000 and RM150,000 a month.

“The factory operators are believed to have used the visit passes suspected to have been obtained through the ID-Hack syndicate, to set up the garment factory in Malaysia, which has produced garments for markets in the Klang Valley and Selangor since 2012,” he said in a statement today.

He said the raid was carried out following a series of operations by the immigration department and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission since April to track down those using temporary employment visit pass stickers issued by the syndicate.

He said initial investigations found that the factory operator set up a company with the cooperation of Malaysians and employed illegal immigrants to maximise profits.

“The factory operator rented several commercial premises, including a three-storey building as a hostel for its workers and a garment factory where the garments are cut and sewn, and also another premises as the factory’s exhibition and sales centre,” he added.

He said the foreign workers were paid a monthly salary of RM1,600.

During the raid at the factory, Khairul said the department seized a certain amount of cash believed to be the company’s sales earnings and several documents, including vehicle ownership certificates registered in the company name.

He said those arrested were detained for 14 days to facilitate investigations under Section 51(5) (b) of the Immigration Act.

The factory operator and the Malaysian woman will be investigated for, among others, employing illegal immigrants, money laundering and smuggling of immigrants, he added. - FMT