Immigration detains six expats from local market raids

Local authorities on Sunday raided two more commercial venues as part of Maldives Immigration’s ongoing crackdown to identity expats running businesses illegally.

The authority along with Maldives Police Service on Sunday raised two local markets in their bid to identity businesses run by foreigners illegally, and detained six people.

Maldives Immigration on X confirmed that it detained four males and two females.

The authority further confirmed their operations have been planned to be carried out continuously without halt.

Sunday’s raid and subsequent detention of expatriates running businesses illegally is the latest in the ongoing crackdown, with eight more expats detained for further investigation earlier on July 06^th. They were operating a takeaway and coffee shop in Hulhumale’ Phase 1, which Immigration suspects were operated illegally.

Besides detaining expats suspected of running businesses illegally, Immigration had detained two Vietnamese women suspected of running possible prostitution businesses in the Maldives capital, Male’ City.

The two were arrested on July 03^rd through a raid conducted by the Special Task Force consisting of Immigration and Maldives Police Service officials.

The Maldives government earlier launched a nationwide effort to identify the total number of expatriates residing in the Maldives.

The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology-led ‘Operation Kurangi’ aims to place these expatriates in a registry, and provide illegal immigrants the chance to reside in the Maldives through legitimate means.

The biometrics of over 1,500 migrants have been already collected under the operation.

Earlier, Home Minister Ali Ihusan while responding to questions at a public forum in April, said the illegal migration issue will be resolved in three years.