KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) detained 34 individuals, including three company owners, in a coordinated operation at several locations around the capital today, following the activities of a cleaning service company suspected of employing foreign workers without valid documents.
Its director-general, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, said that 31 Indonesian nationals, consisting of 27 women and four men who worked as cleaning and transport workers, as well as three locals who are also the owners of the company, consisting of one man and two women, were detained in the operation.
"Preliminary investigations found that the company is believed to have employed foreign workers, and withheld their passports. In addition, the workers are believed to have received a minimum wage below RM1,500, faced salary deductions without reasonable justification, have been subjected to fines and penalties without consent, had been forced to work overtime, and had their movements controlled by the company.
"The information obtained also found that the company in question has a record of employees fleeing due to suspected exploitation they were subjected to," he said in a statement today.
He said the operation team also seized 20 passports belonging to other individuals, cash amounting to RM9,400, and several sets of computers believed to be linked to the company's activities, which are now being examined to assist in the investigation.
Zakaria said the modus operandi of the company is believed to be recruiting Indonesian nationals by offering job opportunities as cleaning workers and promising that the costs related to recruitment and certain expenses will be borne by the company.
He said that through JIM intelligence and financial investigations, several accounts belonging to individuals and companies suspected of engaging in illegal activities have been frozen under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA)(Act 613).
He said all the detained individuals were placed at the KLIA Immigration Detention Depot for investigation and further action.
The integrated operation was led by the officers from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM) and AMLA units at JIM headquarters, Putrajaya in collaboration with the National Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), the Peninsular Malaysia Department of Labour (JTKSM), the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) and the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
-- BERNAMA