Jakarta, IO – Malaysian authorities held a joint operation at the Iskandar Puteri night market, Johor on Tuesday (30/1), nabbing foreign beggars who were said to be able to earn up to RM10,000 (Rp33.3 million) per month. One of the beggars is an Indonesian. They claimed they were collecting donations to fund tahfiz schools and religious institutions.
Immigration officials together with workers from the Social Welfare Department and Department of Islamic Religion previously arrested three Cambodians and two Thais, per Kompas, Thu (1/2).
According to the Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir, the operation was conducted around 6.30pm.
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“Some of them are people with disabilities. These people can earn up to RM300 a day or RM10,000 a month,” he said, adding that they were aged between 34 and 63.
They were charged with the violation of Article 6 (1.c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 because they did not have valid passports and stay permits, as well as Immigration Regulation 39 (b) and 1963 on visa violations. (rr)