Twelve Bangladeshi nationals are among 26 people arrested in Malaysia in different operations conducted by authorities as part of a larger crackdown on the foreigners staying illegally in the Southeast Asian country, media reports said. Authorities conducted raids in several cities earlier this week. 

Seven Bangladeshi nationals along with five others were arrested from a red-light area in Kuala Lumpur, Director-General of Immigration Khairul Dzaimee Daud said in a statement on Wednesday, reported Dhaka Tribune.

In a second raid, which happened in a different city, authorities arrested five more Bangladeshi nationals who failed to produce valid documents. All the detainees would be held in an immigration depot pending investigations for various offenses under the various Malaysian laws. 

According to the Daily Star, Malaysia hosts about 800,000 Bangladeshi workers, including an estimated 200,000 undocumented ones. Due to the pandemic, many undocumented workers could not have their status regularised, but fear arrest if they go out of their homes.

In fiscal 2018-19, Bangladesh received $1.19 billion in remittance from Malaysia, which was 7.25 percent of the total amount sent home by Bangladeshi migrant workers that year, the paper said in another report 
 
(SAM)