Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai has been directed to personally investigate the allegations of harassment by scores of Indian professionals who were detained Sunday o­n suspicion of being illegal immigrants.

Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who issued the directive, said he had instructed the police chief to submit a report to him o­n the incident by next week.

He said the allegations were "serious" and could impair the "the excellent bilateral relations we have with India".

"From the reports that I have read, there are certain facets to the incident which trouble me.

"I have directed Tan Sri Norian to personally handle the investigations and report to me directly by next week at the latest," he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama .

Abdullah said although the police have denied the allegations , the gravity of the accusations prompted him to ask the police chief to re-look into the matter personally.

Assaulted and handcuffed

On Sunday, the police raided the Palm Court condominium in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur and detained more than 150 Indian nationals, who were mostly IT experts.

Those arrested claimed they were physically assaulted, handcuffed and forced to wait for hours before being released after having their travel documents verified.

Following this, the Indian High Commission here lodged two diplomatic protests while New Delhi demanded an explanation, warning that the issue was affecting bilateral ties.

The Indian government also said if a satisfactory answer was not provided, it would be forced to reconsider its trade ties with its largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

The Indian nationals have also lodged a report with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

Not true

Meanwhile, Abdullah assured the Indian government that he would personally get to the bottom of the incident.

He also refuted claims that the police operation specifically targeted Indian nationals.

"That is not true. The authorities have been constantly taking such action against illegal immigrants of all nationalities.

"Newspapers regularly report such operations against foreign nationals," he said.

Asked about the allegation that some of the Indian nationals had their passports defaced, Abdullah said: "Yes, I'm aware of that. That will be o­ne of the things Tan Sri Norian will be looking into."

On Tuesday, the Kuala Lumpur police said the officers and personnel involved in the raid had acted within the law and dismissed the Indian nationals' allegations.