Five expatriates have been arrested for illegal residency during an inspection of a café in the capital, Malé City.

The Maldives Immigration department revealed that the Task Force conducted a raid operation on Wednesday as part of ongoing efforts to address the issue of illegal foreign residents.

As part of the raid, a cafe in Malé City was inspected, and five expatriates found to be residing illegally were taken into Immigration custody.

As part of the work being carried out under the guidance of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to solve the issue of illegal foreign residents in the Maldives, a special operation is being conducted in the Greater Malé Region by relevant authorities to inspect places where illegal foreigners reside and places that prepare food in ways that pose a risk to public safety and security.

Immigration's objective is to find a quick solution to the issue of illegal foreign residents in the Maldives, reduce matters that pose risks to public health, ensure safety and security for citizens, and take action under the Immigration Act against illegal foreign residents and those involved in such activities.

While Immigration has begun an operation to inspect houses where foreigners reside, a special operation is also being conducted to identify foreigners who are doing business illegally and staying without valid visas.

In this regard, Immigration recently arrested 83 expatriates during a raid operation conducted in southernmost Addu City as well.

The government has expanded the operation to seek out illegal foreign residents to all islands of the Maldives. It is also the government's aim to bring the information of all foreigners in the Maldives into one database and find a comprehensive solution to foreign resident issues within three years.