On Thursday (12/10/2023) Hong Kong Immigration Department officials said that they had succeeded in dismantling a crime syndicate that allegedly employed illegal workers to provide dishwashing services in restaurants. From this case, 33 people were arrested, 20 people were non-local residents, and the majority were Indonesian citizens (WNI).
A senior immigration official, Derek Siu, accused them of being recruited by the syndicate for work. They also invite their friends to join. "The syndicate members signed outsourcing contracts with restaurants throughout Hong Kong," Siu told reporters, as reported by RTHK.
“They claim that legal workers will be hired to provide cleaning and dishwashing services, but in reality they are hiring low-cost illegal workers to work to make money,” he said.
These illegal cleaners are each paid between HK$300 and HK$500 per day. Five of those arrested were key members of the syndicate, which allegedly signed contracts with 50 restaurants worth HK$17 million. The other eight are employers.
“Authorities believe the syndicate has been operating for six months,” wrote RTHK.
