Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar today said the initial investigation report received by the ministry did not indicate any police mistreatment of some 200 Indian nationals - most of them information technology professionals - arrested o­n Sunday.

The minister added that he received a protest note from the Indian government and the Indian High Commission here today o­n the alleged police mistreatment of the detainees, which included physical assault and the defacing of their passports.

The detainees were reportedly ordered to do sit-ups, while others were stripped to their underwear, slapped and kicked inside the police station.

"These allegations had been widely published in many India-based newspapers. These are very serious allegations. The initial report we have now doesn't show any wrongful act of the police," said Syed Hamid.

"They were just performing their duty according to the law," he said at a press conference held at the Parliament lobby this afternoon.

However, he immediately added that the Malaysian government "will look very seriously" into all complaints. The matter is now being investigated by the Home Ministry.

"We have no intention to mistreat any national from India or any other country who work here and contribute to the well-being of our country.

"But it is also our duty to ensure that they come in accordance with the law and if for any reason we suspect otherwise, we will take action, and subsequently if they are o­n the right side of the law, they will be released," he stressed.

He insisted that the raid was not targetted at Indian citizens working here, but was merely "an o­ngoing exercise to (identify) illegal immigrants in our country".

He further said the police were performing their duty according to the law after receiving complaints from some residents in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur that this group were illegal immigrants.

Figures refuted

The Indian High Commission yesterday said more than 270 Indian nationals, mostly IT professionals and lecturers, were upset over their arrest o­n Sunday as police did not give them time to show their documents before hauling them in.

They were picked up from the Palm Court Condominium in Brickfields in a dawn swoop.

Syed Hamid however refuted the figure stated by the commission.

"Based o­n the police report, they were o­nly 165 who were brought back to the police station. Almost all were released immediately after they managed to shows their documents, but nine of them - three Pakistanis and six Indians are still being held because they couldn't prove they possessed valid documents," the minister said.

He also believed this incident would not affect the close bilateral relations between India and Malaysia.

"Many serious allegations against us, like the (number of people arrested), are very regrettable. We can't give an immediate response unless we have the details. We have to get to the bottom of this thing (first)."

The minister added that the results of the investigation would be conveyed to the Indian government via diplomatic channels as soon as possible.

'Normal practice'

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zin said it was normal practice for police to round up suspected illegal immigrants before giving them a chance to prove their identity.

"There were around 200 people. This is not a small number. If we check we must check very clearly. Maybe they have working permits but expired, maybe they have valid visas but are expired. We must check.

"So if the police were sent there with o­nly a few or 10 of them, the suspects could try to escape. So the best is to round them up first and take them to the nearby (police station)," he told reporters when met at the Parliament lobby.

"We have been doing (this) for many years," he added.

Energy, Communications and Multimedia Ministry parliament secretary Chia Kwang Chye when asked to comment said he did not feel that the incident would be a setback to Malaysia's aspirations to build a K-economy society.

"The police were just carrying out their duty. This is within their power. It wouldn't affect the information technology industry," he said.

In a statement yesterday, DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang urged Acting Prime Minister and Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give an assurance that police and immigration will not spite the national IT plan to hire the best brains abroad to come help transform Malaysia into a K-economy.

Allegations denied

In a related development, Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief Ahmad Bahrin Idrus denied that the Indian nationals had been mistreated

According to a Bernama report today, he said from the start of the operation at 9am, the police had acted within the law.

He added that o­nly 12 of them were handcuffed when detained and brought to the Jalan Hang Tuah police station for further investigation.

"The process, from the raid until those detained were sent to the lock-up, was in accordance with legal guidelines and there was no abuse of power or maltreatment against those detained as alleged," he said.

According to Ahmad Bahrin, the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters received information that Indian nationals staying in several blocks of the condominium were suspected of having fake passports and permits.

Following this, a team comprising 67 police personnel raided the building and detained 165 Indians and three Pakistanis.

"All of them were taken to the Brickfields district police headquarters for further investigation and the police contacted the immigration authorities to assist in verifying the validity of their passports and permits," he said.

He added that two officers from the Federal Territory Immigration Department arrived at the police station at about 3pm to ascertain the validity of the travel documents.

Nine still in police custody

Ahmad Bahrin said most of the detainees were released in stages while 23 Indians and three Pakistanis were held for further investigation as they did not possess valid documents and had overstayed.

The police then released another 14 Indian nationals when their employers provided their valid documents while the other 12 remained at the lock-up at the Jalan Hang Tuah police station.

The police officer said another three Indian nationals were released yesterday.

He added that currently six Indian nationals were being held, four for not having passports and two in possession of expired passports.

Three Pakistani nationals were also in custody as their passports had expired.

On the allegation that police had taken a long time to check their documents, Ahmad Bahrin said this was because it involved a large group of people.