Malaysia’s Immigration Department detained 252 migrants, including Bangladeshis, during a special enforcement operation at a furniture factory in Teluk Gong, Port Klang, in Selangor state.

The operation, known as “Ops Mega,” began at 8 a.m. Wednesday and involved officers from the Selangor Immigration Department along with the Labor Department (JTK), the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), and the Employees Provident Fund (KWSP).

During the operation, several foreign workers attempted to avoid arrest by hiding in different locations. One worker was found inside a roll-on roll-off (RoRo) waste container, concealed beneath piles of trash. During questioning, he said he had not been trying to hide and was only resting.

Another worker was discovered hiding beside a wood-cutting machine. He told authorities he took shelter there because he was frightened after seeing enforcement officers.

Mohamad Khusairi Kamaruddin, deputy director of enforcement at the Selangor Immigration Department, said authorities screened a total of 520 foreign nationals during the operation. Of those, 252 male migrants were detained for suspected immigration offenses.

Those detained included 175 Bangladeshis, 39 Pakistanis, 33 Nepalese, four Myanmar nationals and one Sri Lankan.

According to the Immigration Department, the alleged offenses include misuse of immigration passes, staying without valid documents, remaining in the country after visa expiry and using illegal identification documents.

All detainees were sent to the Semenyih Immigration Depot for further investigation and remand procedures.

Khusairi said strict legal action would also be taken against individuals or companies found sheltering or employing undocumented migrants. He also urged the public to cooperate by providing information on immigration law violations.

The operation was part of Malaysia’s ongoing enforcement efforts against undocumented migration.