Police estimate that about 8,000 Rohingya refugees in Kelantan are living without valid documentation, forming the majority of the more than 13,000 Rohingya currently residing in the state.
Kelantan Police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said some 5,373 Rohingya are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, while the remainder are believed to be undocumented.
He said the community does not live in designated settlements but is dispersed across local communities, particularly in Kota Bharu, Padang Siam in Tanah Merah, Ketereh, Bunut Susu in Pasir Mas and Pasir Puteh.
“Our Special Branch continuously monitors their movement. We know where they are and how many are in each location,” he said, adding that those holding UNHCR cards are generally free to reside anywhere.
Meanwhile, Mohd Yusoff said police recorded 412 cases involving 825 arrests of Rohingya individuals between January and May this year, surpassing the 277 cases and 723 arrests recorded throughout 2025.
Immigration-related offences accounted for the bulk of the cases, with 384 cases and 789 arrests in the first five months of the year, compared to 215 cases and 637 arrests last year.
Police also recorded 16 migrant smuggling cases involving 21 arrests, as well as eight property crime cases involving eight arrests for offences such as theft, housebreaking and trespassing.
Four violent crime cases involving seven arrests were also reported during the period.
However, Mohd Yusoff stressed that there have been no serious criminal cases involving the Rohingya community in Kelantan so far.
He added that most arrests stemmed from attempts to enter Malaysia illegally through border areas and enforcement operations conducted in locations where Rohingya communities are residing.
