Bangladeshi among 17 held in Malaysia

The Immigration Department has arrested 17 people, including a Bangladesh national, in a drive at a massage parlour on Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar in Malaysia.

Perak Immigration Director Kamalludin Ismail said the raid was conducted on Sunday (February 24) at 3:40pm after getting a tip-off about irregular activities there, reports Malaysian news portal The Star Online.

"Apart from massages, the centre also offered sexual services," he said in a statement today.

"We arrested four women from Thailand and six from Vietnam. Others included a man from Bangladesh, two men from Myanmar who work there and four Malaysian men," he said, adding that those arrested are aged between 19 and 49.

"Some of the women were serving customers and were unaware of the raid," he added.

"Those arrested have committed various offences under the Immigration Act, including not possessing legal documents, working illegally on a visiting pass and sheltering illegal immigrants," said Kamalludin.

"We will send them to the Immigration depot at Langkap, Teluk Intan once investigations are completed," he added.