According to reports in Malaysia, a group of Sri Lankans are among the 158 illegal immigrants arrested during a raid on an apartment complex.
There were 358 immigrants when an apartment in Barcham area of Perak was inspected.
Of these, 158 are detained in Malaysia for living without valid visas or permits or for overstaying, Perak Immigration Director Mir Hezbollah Malik said.
Among these migrants are 83 men, 54 women, 8 boys and 3 girls aged between 9 and 60 years.
All of them are from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Vietnam.
Many of these people have rented apartments from local landlords, officials said.
About 560 housing units in 15 locations were inspected during this raid.
Mir Hezbollah has warned local landlords not to rent out their properties to foreigners without proper permission.
He said doing so could lead to charges under Section 55 (E) of the Malaysian Immigration Act 1959/63, which carries a maximum fine of RM30,000 in local currency or imprisonment of up to 12 months.
Following the arrest, Meir Hezbollah also said the department would investigate every landlord who rented out their homes or rooms to undocumented immigrants, local media reported.
