Sabah Immigration Department arrested 21 foreign nationals in a late-night raid on two entertainment outlets in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang.

The arrests were made during Ops Gegar, an enforcement operation that began at midnight on March 16, following a three-week surveillance by the department’s enforcement division.

Authorities first raided a nightclub in Kota Kinabalu, where they detained seven individuals, including a Filipino man and six Vietnamese women. 

A second operation in Penampang led to the arrest of 14 others, comprising two Filipino men, five Filipino women, five Indonesian men, and two Indonesian women.

During the raids, immigration officers also seized business licences, rental agreements, two logbooks, and RM3,957 in cash as part of their investigation. 

All detainees were taken to the Immigration Enforcement Office in Kota Kinabalu for further questioning. 

They are being investigated for various immigration offences, including misuse of issued passes, failure to produce identification documents, and overstaying under Malaysia’s Immigration Act.

Sabah Immigration Director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof urged the public to report any suspected cases of illegal employment or undocumented migrants. 

She said enforcement operations would continue to ensure foreign nationals comply with immigration laws, adding that 1,271 individuals had been detained and 2,472 undocumented migrants had been deported so far this year.

“Immigration enforcement remains a priority to uphold national security and sovereignty,” she said. – March 17, 2025