ALOR STAR: A total of 30 illegal workers were rounded up by the state Immigration Department during a 7-hour operation in Kulim today.
Twenty nine of the detainees, including a man, were Thais while one was from Laos.
Kedah Immigration Department director Zuhair Jamaludin said the department's enforcement team raided three premises under Op Gegar aimed to curb vice activities involving illegal immigrants.
He said the operation was held from 9pm yesterday until 4am today.
“The team went to an eatery outlet in Taman Serai Wangi in Padang Serai, a lounge in Taman Kempas and a guesthouse in Taman Lagenda.
“A total 77 foreigners were inspected but only 30 were found to have violated their passes.
“In their bid to escape some of the women were caught hiding under a stage while some were apprehended at housing areas near the premises,” he said in a statement.
Zuhair said all of them were found to have misused their social visit passes to work at the venues.
The detainees were taken to the department office for questioning before being sent to the Belantik Immigration Detention Depot in Sik.