The number of Bangladeshis picked up in Malaysia has risen to 331 as 34 more detained in a crackdown against illegal foreign workers in last two days.
Malaysian police picked up at least 2,544 illegal expatriates of different nationalities for various offences in the crackdown that started on January 21, Malaysian National News Agency Bernama reports today.  
Among those detained were 1,064 Indonesians and 341 Myanmar nationals while the rests were Filipinos, Indians, Nepalese, Cambodians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thais, Yemenis, Sri Lankans, Cameroonians and Togolese.
Besides, 13 employers including 11 locals and two Bangladeshis were also arrested for allegedly employing and protecting illegal expatriates, Bernama mentioned quoting Datuk Alias Ahmad, director-general of Malaysian Immigration Department.
The Immigration authorities inspected 11,491 foreigners and 2,544 of them were detained in the crackdown, he told Bernama.  
Meanwhile, they deported a total of 1,239 detainees including 113 Bangladeshis by this time.
But Mantu Kumar Biswas, labour counsellor of Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur, claimed that they had information of only 275 Bangladeshis to be detained.
“We have provided travel passes to around 250 to 300 Bangladeshis in the last few days. But it is difficult to confirm how many of them were detainees and deported home,” he told The Daily Star over phone this evening.