IPOH, Dec 17 — The Perak Immigration Department detained 32 Chinese nationals, including two women, and a local man, for alleged involvement in online fraudulent activities during a raid at a three-storey terrace house in Bandar Meru Raya here yesterday.

Its director Kamalludin Ismail said the two-and-a-half-hour raid started at 4.30pm and all 33 detainees were aged between 18 and 41.

"During the raid they were busy carrying out the activities and tried to flee upon realising the presence of the authorities but failed,” he said in a statement here today.

Kamalludin said during the raid, 37 laptops, 66 mobile phones, an internet modem/ router unit, 71 bank cards, 21 Chinese identification cards, a debit card reader, seven new SIM cards and cash in various currencies, were also seized.

He said preliminary investigations found that all Chinese nationals detained had committed various offences under Immigration Act 1959/63.

Kamalludin said with the latest arrest, the total number of Chinese nationals detained by Perak Immigration Department since December 9 for alleged online scam activities now stood at 137 people. — Bernama