13 Asian nationals detained over illegal homestay rental syndicate
KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department detained 13 Asian nationals during a raid on a syndicate running unauthorised homestay rentals at two locations in the city, near Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sultan Ismail.
The operation, carried out by the Intelligence and Special Operations Division on Tuesday, followed two weeks of surveillance and public tip-offs regarding suspicious activities involving foreigners.
Immigration deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar said those arrested comprised nine Bangladeshi men and one Bangladeshi woman, an Indonesian man, an Indian woman, and a Filipino woman, aged between 24 and 40.
"Investigations revealed they had been running an online homestay rental business for over a year by leasing residential units from local owners and re-renting them to customers via digital platforms.
The rental rates offered ranged from RM80 to RM400 per night, depending on the room size and location," he said in a statement yesterday.
Six of those detained held Temporary Employment Visit Passes for work in the construction and cleaning sectors, while the rest did not have valid travel documents or passes.
Items seized during the raid included copies of rental agreements, passports, 48 building access cards, a laptop, three mobile phones, guest information forms, and cash totalling RM74,000 and US$2,160.
All suspects are currently being held at the Immigration Headquarters in Putrajaya for further investigation.
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