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Biggest Haul of Immigration Offenders by ICA
In the early hours on the morning of 22 Nov 2005, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) mounted a raid on a rundown two-storey building at Sungei Kadut, arresting 102 immigration offenders, the highest number of immigration offenders caught since the formation of ICA. The successful arrest was the result of close to one month of discreet investigations and intelligence gathering by ICA officers.
2 Under the cover of the night, ICA officers crept into the vicinity of the office building and cordoned off strategic routes before moving swiftly into the building. The large community of mainly Bangladeshi occupants within was woken up from their slumber. Several of them tried to escape through the various exit points of the building, while others resorted to hiding up the roof. All their attempts were to no avail and they were swiftly rounded up by our officers.
3 The immigration offenders were aged between 14 – 55 years old. Preliminary investigations revealed that 44 of the immigration offenders had rented the place from a male Singaporean Chinese for a monthly fee of $150. These 44 immigration offenders were referred to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for further investigations into the offence of harbouring of immigration offenders. The remaining immigration offenders were held in ICA for investigations into their immigration offences.
4 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
5 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA's online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA's internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 or contact the Police.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
22 Nov 2005
2 Under the cover of the night, ICA officers crept into the vicinity of the office building and cordoned off strategic routes before moving swiftly into the building. The large community of mainly Bangladeshi occupants within was woken up from their slumber. Several of them tried to escape through the various exit points of the building, while others resorted to hiding up the roof. All their attempts were to no avail and they were swiftly rounded up by our officers.
3 The immigration offenders were aged between 14 – 55 years old. Preliminary investigations revealed that 44 of the immigration offenders had rented the place from a male Singaporean Chinese for a monthly fee of $150. These 44 immigration offenders were referred to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for further investigations into the offence of harbouring of immigration offenders. The remaining immigration offenders were held in ICA for investigations into their immigration offences.
4 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
5 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA's online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA's internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 or contact the Police.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
22 Nov 2005