PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Immigration Department detained 20 people aged between 23 and 47 during a special operation in Taman Datuk Ahmad Razali yesterday over suspected involvement in a syndicate abusing foreign worker quotas.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation, which began at 7.30am, was conducted by the Intelligence and Special Operations Division at the Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya, in collaboration with the Strategic Compliance Branch and the Intelligence and Profiling Department of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

He said the operation was carried out following public information and intelligence gathered by the department.

"Those detained comprised two Bangladeshi men believed to be the business owner and manager, six Malaysian female employees, and 12 foreign customers – nine Bangladeshi men and three Indonesian women.