Immigration department enforcement director Basri Othman said the operation, which began at noon, saw 160 officers questioning 758 individuals, including 254 locals. They also inspected 14 business premises.

Those arrested were from India, Bangladesh and Indonesia, and aged between 20 and 50 years old.

Basri said they were detained for various immigration violations such as overstaying, violating visa conditions, and not possessing identification documents.

He also revealed that some foreigners attempted to disguise themselves as customers to avoid detection, but their efforts were thwarted by the enforcement officers.

“Our officers were in the area from 10am to distinguish between the foreign workers and genuine customers,” he added.

All the detainees were taken to the temporary immigration depot in Beranang, Selangor.

The immigration department conducted a similar raid in the Jalan Masjid India area on Feb 15.