"Worse Than A Robbery" — Immigration Officers Break Down Elderly KL Couple's Door At 3AM
The couple accused the officers of violating their sense of security within their home.
By Sadho Ram — 02 Jun 2023, 12:37 PM
An elderly Malaysian couple sleeping in their condominium unit in Kuala Lumpur abruptly woke up to find officers from the Immigration Department inside their home at 3am on Thursday, 1 June
According to Free Malaysia Today, the couple's home in the Putra Majestik condominium was raided by immigration officers in the wee hours of the morning, giving the couple "the fright of their lives".
The officers broke down the door to the couple's unit before proceeding to their room to wake them up.
"We were absolutely terrified. We opened our eyes to find a man wearing a bright jacket shining flashlights and shouting 'bangun, bangun, bangun (wake up)'. We initially thought we were either dreaming or being pranked," Free Malaysia Today quoted the 66-year-old husband, Rames Prasath Rai, as saying.
He said the officer was wearing a luminous vest and failed to provide any form of identification.
"He kept asking for our identification card (IC). I jumped out of bed, went to the living room, and took out my IC from my wallet," Rames told the portal, adding that the officer proceeded to photograph their MyKads.
Describing the raid as being "wrongfully targeted", Rames, who is a dean at a private university, told the portal that the officer also scolded him and his wife for not answering when he knocked on the door
"He told us they had to break down our door, and then walked away. I was still in a daze while my wife was hysterical. We know they are doing their job, but there's no need to be so heavy-handed. He didn't have the courtesy to say sorry, but just said, 'We are looking for (undocumented migrants)' as he left," said Rames.
His wife, Mek Ke Thong, has been distressed over the incident
The 68-year-old retired matron accused the officer of violating their sense of security within their home.
"This is worse than a robbery. I suffer from high blood pressure, and my chest has been hurting since this morning," she was quoted as saying, adding that she saw a big raiding party in the corridor heading to another unit after the man left.
Rames has since lodged a report at the Sentul police station
He was accompanied by his son, 39-year-old Prem, who told the portal that they have also contacted the immigration department regarding the raid, which was confirmed by an unnamed officer.
Prem said the unnamed officer from the Jalan Duta office said he was unsure if his parents' home was raided, but advised him to "file a lawsuit against the home ministry" over the damage caused to their property.
"I found that dismissive, especially considering my parents' advanced age and their existing medical conditions. What if this incident had triggered a heart attack?" Prem asked.
Meanwhile, a post on the Immigration Department's Facebook page shows there was a raid carried out at Putra Majestic on Thursday
According to the post, officers arrested several people at the condominium.
