KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan Immigration Department arrested 17 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh through Ops Serkap in Kota Bharu on Sunday (May 18).

Its director Yusoff Khan Mohd Hassan said the operation, which began at 4pm, involved 15 officers and members of the state immigration enforcement division.

"Acting on intelligence, our party inspected foreigners around Pengkalan Chepa here, namely two houses around Taman Seri, a house in Batu 6 Tok Kaya and a kongsi in Mukim Pulau Gajah.

"All the foreigners from Bangladesh are aged between 19 and 40 and have been sent to the Tanah Merah Immigration Depot for further investigation," he said in a statement on Monday (May 19).

He said 14 immigrants were suspected of infringing Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while three other immigrants believed to be agents are being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) 2007. - Bernama