THE Immigration Department followed its standard operating procedure (SOP) to enter an elderly couple’s apartment in Kuala Lumpur, including when it forced open the front door, said its director.

Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Syamsul Badrin Mohshin reportedly said the early Friday raid at the apartment was done after the department received a complaint.

He said his officers knocked on the door for “10 to 15 minutes” but there was no answer.

“As the officers saw a lot of slippers outside the house but no one answered the door, we broke down the door.

“The claim that we did not introduce ourselves is not true. When we knocked on the door itself we introduced ourselves as from Immigration.

“We follow SOP when we enter a home. We act based on complaints and information. We are in uniform, not plain clothes. So it is impossible for this (not identifying ourselves) to happen,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

He said the department will be in touch with the homeowner to resolve the issue.

“We need to speak to the owner first to see what the story is. We will investigate the matter first,” he said.

A news report said the couple claimed a man claiming to be an Immigration officer broke down their front door and stormed into their bedroom at 3am at Putra Majestic Condominium.

They said the officer ordered them to show their MyKad but he did not provide any form of identification.

The husband lodged a report at the Sentul police headquarters before contacting the Immigration Department about the raid. 

The police have referred the case to the Immigration Department for a follow-up. – June 5, 2023.