MELAKA: A 10-year-old Indonesian boy was detained after he was found managing a grocery store at a construction site in Ayer Keroh yesterday.
He was among 59 foreigners detained during a joint operation by the Melaka Immigration Department and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry at two construction sites near Bukit Baru.
The boy was found managing the store, believed to be operated by Indonesian workers, after his mother returned temporarily to Indonesia.
The premises was equipped with air conditioning, personal computers, closed-circuit television cameras and internet access.
The boy claimed he had been in Malaysia for more than a year after arriving with his family. He previously lived in Semabok before moving to Ayer Keroh.
He said he did not attend formal school, but was instead studying online while helping his family manage the store alongside his grandmother.
"I want to return to Indonesia, but I cannot go back yet because I do not have enough money," he said when met at the construction site living quarters.
His grandmother, who wished to be known as Faridah, 58, was also screened during the operation. She claimed she was helping out at the store while the boy's mother was away.
She said she had forgotten to renew her travel pass, which expired three years ago. She added that she had lived in Malaysia for more than seven years and previously worked as a construction worker.
"I knew my pass had expired, but I have never been detained all these years until now," she said.
Melaka Immigration Department director Anirwan Fauzee Mohd Aini said the operation involved checks on 73 people, including locals and foreigners.
"Those detained are aged between 10 and 54, including one woman. They comprise 44 Bangladeshis, nine Indonesians, three Myanmar nationals and three Pakistanis, held for various immigration offences.
"The boy was detained for failing to produce any identification documents," he said in a statement.
Anirwan said the offences fell under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act, as well as Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations.
"The detainees were taken to the Machap Umboo Immigration Depot in Alor Gajah," he said.
During the operation, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry also issued a compound to the store owner under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 for failing to display price tags.
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