MIRI: A night out at a popular karaoke centre in the city ended in chaos when authorities stormed the premises and arrested 40 individuals of various nationalities suspected of immigration offences.
In an integrated operation codenamed ‘Ops Gegar’, Miri Immigration Enforcement Unit and Miri Police raided the entertainment outlet around 10:00 pm last Friday.
Authorities suspected the premises were offering foreign women to entertain patrons.
The team rounded up 50 individuals for documentation checks, and of that figure, 40 were taken into custody.
They comprised 33 women from China, Vietnam and the Philippines, and seven men from Indonesia.
All the detainees were found to have abused their social visit passes, overstayed, and failed to produce valid travel documents.
They were later escorted to the Bekenu Immigration Depot, where they are being held pending further investigations.
The case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
