KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s Immigration Department said on July 8 it raided two luxury residences in Kuala Lumpur on July 7 and detained 10 Bangladeshi nationals.

Director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the special operation began at 12.30am and involved eight men and two women aged 23 to 42, according to The Star’s Bernama report. Two of the detained men were believed to have acted as guards at the premises.

Officials said one detained man held a Temporary Work Visit Pass for the construction sector. Two women were on the Immigration Department’s blacklist but were believed to have re-entered Malaysia through an illegal entry point, and the rest did not have valid passes or travel documents.

The department said the residences had allegedly operated for several months as temporary transit sites for foreign nationals believed to have entered Malaysia through illegal entry points before being moved to intended destinations. 

Officers seized three Bangladeshi passports belonging to other people and RM1,595 in cash.

“The premises are guarded by foreign caretakers who are responsible for managing temporary placements until the payment process is completed,” Zakaria said. He said the fees charged ranged from RM700 to RM1,500 per person.

In a separate July 7 raid around Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, authorities also arrested a Malaysian man suspected of acting as a transporter and four Indian migrant workers. 

Zakaria said one Indian man had been blacklisted but re-entered Malaysia outside designated entry points. The alleged transport operation charged RM6,000 per person and had operated since last year.

Officers also seized two mobile phones, four copies of Indian passports and a Perodua Bezza vehicle allegedly used in the operation. 

The Bangladeshi group was investigated under Sections 56(1)(d) and 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and the TBS detainees were investigated under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act.

The raids followed renewed Malaysia-Bangladesh talks over labour migration. 

Reuters reported on June 22 that Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman asked Malaysia to consider reopening its labour market to Bangladeshi migrant workers after Kuala Lumpur restricted hiring from Bangladesh in 2024 over reports of debt bondage and forced labour.