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New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
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.
Barnama
2 days ago
- Barnama
Immigration Detains 13 Foreigners Running Illegal Homestay Business
KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 (Bernama) -- The Immigration Department busted a homestay racket run by foreigners in a special operation carried out around Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sultan Ismail here on Tuesday. Immigration deputy director-general (Management) Ismail Mokhtar said in the operation, which began at 2.57 pm, 13 illegal immigrants aged between 24 and 40 were arrested for acting as 'homestay agents.' 'Based on public information and intelligence gathered over two weeks, the operations team was organised to move to the location and arrested nine men and one woman from Bangladesh, one Indonesian man, as well as one woman each from India and the Philippines,' he said in a statement today. Ismail stated that of the figure, three men and one woman from Bangladesh, the Indonesian man and the Indian woman, were suspected of committing offences under Regulation 39b of the Immigration Regulations 1963. The rest were detained on suspicion of committing offences under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. All of them were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration headquarters for further action. Ismail stated that six local citizens and one Bangladeshi man were given notice to appear at the immigration office to assist with investigations. 'All the foreigners detained were managing the illegal homestay business in Malaysia by renting properties from local citizens. 'Customers place their bookings online, and these foreigners would manage the transactions. Rental charges range from RM80 to RM400 per night, depending on room size, and this homestay racket is believed to have been operating for a year,' he said. According to Ismail, the operations team also seized copies of tenancy agreements, four Bangladeshi passports, one Indonesian and one Indian passport each, 48 (room) access cards, a laptop, three mobile phones, homestay guest information forms and cash totalling RM74,000 and USD2,160.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Immigration detains 13 foreigners running illegal homestay business
KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department has busted a homestay racket run by foreigners in a special operation carried out around Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sultan Ismail here. Immigration deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar said in the operation, which began at 2.57pm on Tuesday, 13 illegal immigrants aged from 24 to 40 were arrested. "Based on information and intelligence gathered over two weeks, the operations team was organised to move to the location and arrested nine men and one woman from Bangladesh, one Indonesian man, as well as one woman each from India and the Philippines," he said in a statement on Thursday (June 5). Ismail stated that of the figure, three men and one woman from Bangladesh, the Indonesian man and the Indian woman, were suspected of committing offences under Regulation 39b of the Immigration Regulations 1963. The rest were detained on suspicion of committing offences under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. All of them were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration headquarters for further action. Ismail stated that six local citizens and one Bangladeshi man were given notice to appear at the Immigration office to assist with investigations. "All the foreigners detained were managing the illegal homestay business in Malaysia by renting properties from local citizens. "Customers place their bookings online and these foreigners would manage the transactions. Rental charges range from RM80 to RM400 per night, depending on room size. This homestay racket is believed to have been operating for a year," he said. According to Ismail, the operations team also seized copies of tenancy agreements, four Bangladeshi passports, one Indonesian and one Indian passport each, 48 (room) access cards, a laptop, three mobile phones, homestay guest information forms and cash totalling RM74,000 and US$2,160. – Bernama
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Immigration detains 13 foreigners running illegal homestay business
KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department busted a homestay racket run by foreigners in a special operation carried out around Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sultan Ismail here on Tuesday. Immigration deputy director-general (Management) Ismail Mokhtar said in the operation, which began at 2.57 pm, 13 illegal immigrants aged between 24 and 40 were arrested for acting as 'homestay agents.' 'Based on public information and intelligence gathered over two weeks, the operations team was organised to move to the location and arrested nine men and one woman from Bangladesh, one Indonesian man, as well as one woman each from India and the Philippines,' he said in a statement today. Ismail stated that of the figure, three men and one woman from Bangladesh, the Indonesian man and the Indian woman, were suspected of committing offences under Regulation 39b of the Immigration Regulations 1963. The rest were detained on suspicion of committing offences under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. All of them were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration headquarters for further action. Ismail stated that six local citizens and one Bangladeshi man were given notice to appear at the immigration office to assist with investigations. 'All the foreigners detained were managing the illegal homestay business in Malaysia by renting properties from local citizens. 'Customers place their bookings online, and these foreigners would manage the transactions. Rental charges range from RM80 to RM400 per night, depending on room size, and this homestay racket is believed to have been operating for a year,' he said. According to Ismail, the operations team also seized copies of tenancy agreements, four Bangladeshi passports, one Indonesian and one Indian passport each, 48 (room) access cards, a laptop, three mobile phones, homestay guest information forms and cash totalling RM74,000 and USD2,160.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Thirteen foreigners arrested for illegal homestay operations
PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has arrested 13 foreigners for operating illegal homestays. The Immigration Department conducted the operation on Tuesday (June 3) along Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Sultan Ismail. Following two weeks of surveillance, the department arrested 10 Bangladeshis, one Indonesian, an Indian, and a Filipino national. "All suspects are aged between 24 and 40 and were believed to be homestay agents," said department deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar in a statement on Thursday (June 5). Six of the arrested suspects had temporary work visas intended for the construction and cleaning industries. "The rest had no valid travel documents or passes to be in Malaysia. "The group managed homestays by renting them from local owners. Customers made reservations online, which were managed by the suspects. "These activities have been ongoing for around a year. All detained have been brought to the Putrajaya Immigration Department for further action," he said. Six locals and a Bangladeshi national have also been issued summonses to present themselves to the department to assist investigations.
