Nine Indian restaurant workers were arrested and detained at Sungai Chua in Kajang, Selangor, in Malaysia on Thursday evening, October 26. The men were found assaulting a co-worker who was asking for his wage.
Kajang police chief ACP Ahmad Mohd Yussof said in a statement that the men belonged to the age group between 20 and 40 years. They were captured by a police team after the assault. The victim, a co-worker of the nine men, was punched, kicked and beaten, leading to injuries on lips, toes and buttocks.
Yussof also said that the arrest was based on video evidence, captured by a closed-circuit camera in the restaurant. The victim is believed to have been in an inebriated state during the assault, reports Bernama. He wanted to get paid for his work in the restaurant.
The arrested men are also believed to be overstaying in Malaysia. Malaysia has about 2 million Indian-origin Malaysian nationals as of 2015 who are descendants of migrants whose families shifted to Malaysia after the British colonised Malaya. Apart from that, seven percent of the Malaysian population consists of immigrated Indians. A survey conducted in 1999 discovered that 15 percent of the Malaysian workforce comprised of Indians or people of Indian origin.
However, overstaying of Indians has always been a problem for Malaysia. In 2014, 83 Indian nationals were detained for overstaying their visa in Malaysia.
Section 15 (4) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155) states that the penalty for overstaying in Malaysia is at least RM 10,000. It might also result in imprisonment for maximum five years or both. The convicted may also compound his punishment for the offence.
