KUANTAN, Jan 19 — The Pahang Immigration Department arrested 54 foreigners from various countries in a raid at a popular theme park in Genting Highlands today.

Its director Muhammad Hatta Kassim said those detained in the four-hour operation that began at 3pm, included 13 women.

The detainees were aged between 25 and 42 years, and according to previous surveillance, they were believed to be working there, with some employed as front-desk employees.

Speaking at a news conference at the department’s headquarters here, he said preliminary investigations showed that some of them had just arrived in the country on social visit passes.

Muhammad Hatta said the detainees consisted of 18 Myanmar nationals, while the remaining foreigners were from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal and the Philippines.

He added that so far this year, the department had conducted 75 operations in Pahang, involving 484 foreigners, 282 of whom were arrested for various offences. — Bernama