This undated photo shows the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. (PHOTO / IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT, HKSAR)

The Immigration Department on Thursday said it had foiled a group suspected of organizing illegal workers to be employed in 50 Hong Kong restaurants, with 33 people being arrested, including five who are believed to be masterminds of the syndicate.

At a media briefing on Thursday, the Immigration Department said the syndicate, operating under the cover of a cleaning company, had sent people who were not qualified to work in Hong Kong to provide cleaning and dishwashing services in restaurants. The outsourced cleaning contracts totaled HK$17 million ($2.17 million).

Most of the 20 arrested illegal workers, aged between 23 and 55, are Indonesian and entered the city legally

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Law enforcement officers arrested five core syndicate members, eight employers in restaurants suspected of employing illegal workers, and 20 illegal workers during raids on four residential units and 12 restaurants from Tuesday to Thursday, according to Senior Immigration Officer Derek Siu Wai-wang from the Immigration Department.

Siu said that three forged Hong Kong identity cards were also seized in the operation.

Most of the 20 arrested illegal workers, aged between 23 and 55, are Indonesian and entered the city legally. Among them, two people obtained recognizance forms issued by the Immigration Department, which prohibit them from taking up employment.

Siu said the cleaning company set up by the crime group had signed outsourcing contracts with 50 restaurants offering cleaning work. However, the company recruited illegal workers and paid them HK$300 to HK$500 a day. The illegal workers then told their friends and countrymen to join the business.

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Siu added that the syndicate’s mastermind managed the cleaning company’s bank accounts and paid the illegal workers’ wages by bank transfers. Other members of the syndicate were responsible for collecting contract fees from the restaurants, with contracts ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$50,000.

Investigations are continuing to ascertain whether the restaurants were aware of the illicit activities taking place on their premises, Siu said.

The Immigration Department said it believes that the operation has dismantled the syndicate. The department has also called on restaurant owners to verify the identities of their workers, emphasizing the importance of complying with labor regulations.