Malaysian authorities have detained 165 Bangladeshis among 506 undocumented migrants during a raid in Kuala Lumpur.
The Immigration Department carried out the operation in Medan Imbi on Thursday night, according to the New Straits Times.
The arrests were made under suspected violations of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Of the total detainees, 448 were men- primarily from Bangladesh (165) and Nepal (124), while 58 women were held, including 40 Indonesians and 18 Nepalis.
The operation covered six residential blocks across four floors around Jalan Barat, Jalan Melati and Jalan Khoo Teik Ee.
Immigration Director General Zakaria Shaaban said that 185 officers were involved in the raid.
A total of 895 individuals were screened, among them 146 Malaysians.
Preliminary findings suggest many detainees lacked proper identification, overstayed their visas or breached entry pass conditions.
Some were also found with documents not officially recognized by Malaysia, such as UNHCR cards issued by other countries.
The raid, which began at 7:30pm, led to chaos as some migrants attempted to flee.
Several ran barefoot, leaving their shoes behind.
Among those who tried to escape were a man from Myanmar and another from Nepal, both of whom were chased down by plainclothes officers and sustained minor injuries during their failed escape.
They were treated on the spot by Fire and Rescue Department personnel.
Additionally, a pregnant Indian woman felt unwell during the operation and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Within two hours, the entire area fell quiet as residents were either detained or screened by immigration personnel.
Zakaria noted that some rooms were severely overcrowded, with as many as five to six people sharing a single room.
In houses with five rooms, that meant up to 30 occupants and some rooms had even been extended to accommodate more people.
One of the detainees shared that the monthly rent for a room in the area was RM600, usually split among four people.
Those arrested have been transferred to the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot while investigations continue.
This location has been under scrutiny before, with a similar raid conducted in February.
Zakaria added that enforcement will continue, with surprise checks planned throughout the year to uphold immigration regulations.
So far, 22,486 undocumented migrants have been detained in operations up to Wednesday.
