Cops nab 162 foreigners, 22 locals during Ops Noda Khas in Johor Baru

Cops nab 162 foreigners, 22 locals during Ops Noda Khas in Johor Baru

JOHOR BARU: A total of 184 people were arrested by the police during a statewide sting operation at unlicensed entertainment centres.

Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said the operation was conducted under “Ops Noda Khas” involving 23 senior police officers and 114 policemen from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID).

“These premises are believed to have been running without any licence, hiring foreign women as guest relations officers (GRO), and drug abuse.

“The operation has managed to arrest 184 people, consisting of 32 men and 152 women, all aged 21 to 64.

“162 people were foreigners, while the remaining 22 were locals,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Feb 18).

The police have also confiscated various items, such as a DVD player, amplifier, laptop, speakers, microphone, and cash.

“48 people also tested positive for drugs. There were 14 local men, two local women, four foreign men, and 28 foreign women.

“All of them tested positive for methamphetamine,” he said, adding that the group was arrested under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952 for consuming drugs.

Comm Kumar added that the police have also managed to arrest a local man who is wanted under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

He added that all those arrested are currently under remand to help with the investigation.

The case is being investigated under Section 6(2) of the Johor Entertainment Places Enactment for operating without a licence and Section 11(2) of the same act for operating an entertainment centre beyond the allowed time.

It is also investigated under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959 for hiring foreign workers without a permit and Section 39(B) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for violating the requirement of their travel visa.

The foreigners would also be investigated under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act of 1959/63 for entering the country without valid travel documents and overstaying.