He said efforts were being taken with the cooperation of the police to ascertain their current location.

Khairul said most of the detainees who were still at large were believed to be street smart, especially in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, because they had worked and resided there before.

“The locals might not help them, but there is a high probability they received help from their own community,” he told reporters after leading immigration raids at the wholesale market in Selayang here today.

There are 61 Rohingya detainees still at large, he said.

In the mass breakout on April 20, a total of 528 Rohingya detainees escaped from the depot in Bandar Baharu, Kedah, after staging a protest.

Six of them were killed after being hit by a car at KM169 of the North-South Expressway on the same day, while attempting to cross the highway. A seventh Rohingya who was injured in the same accident succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.

On the raids, Khairul said 248 illegal immigrants were detained, which were mounted following public complaints about foreigners operating shops and stalls by the roadside near the markets.

He said those detained comprised 205 men and 43 women.

“Of the total, 109 were UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders, while 139 others, comprising Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Indonesia and Bangladesh nationals, did not have any valid document,” he said.

Khairul said the department also detected three Pakistan nationals who held UNHCR cards despite the country not being listed as a user.

“Initial investigation found that the cards were authentic. We will carry out further investigation on how the three Pakistan nationals were issued the UNHCR cards,” he added.