13 foreigners nabbed for running illegal homestay operation in KL
The 13 people arrested comprised nine men and one woman from Bangladesh, one Indonesian man, and one woman each from India and the Philippines. (Immigration Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA : Thirteen foreigners involved in an illegal homestay operation were detained by immigration officials during a raid in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Immigration deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar said the raid at Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sultan Ismail followed two weeks of surveillance and public tip-offs, Bernama reported.
'These foreigners rented local properties and managed bookings online, with rental rates ranging from RM80 to RM400 per night depending on room size. The operation is believed to have been running for about a year,' he said.
Authorities also seized tenancy agreements, passports (four Bangladeshi, one Indonesian, and one Indian), 48 room access cards, a laptop, three mobile phones, guest records, RM74,000 in cash and US$2,160.
The 13 people arrested comprised nine men and one woman from Bangladesh, one Indonesian man, and one woman each from India and the Philippines. They are aged between 24 and 40.
All 13 were taken to the immigration headquarters in Putrajaya for further action.
Ismail added that six Malaysians and one Bangladeshi man were issued notices to assist with the investigation.
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