FRROs told to keep a watch on Malaysians

In its first direct reaction to the episode relating to action against Indian IT professionals by Malaysian authorities, Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), including the one in Bangalore, have been ordered to check the credentials of Malaysian nationals registered here.

The Centre wants the FRROs at the state level and FRO’s in several metros to go through its list of Malaysians thoroughly and check their antecedents. Highly placed officials said the order came late last night. There are several hundred Malaysians in Karnataka, most of them students in Bangalore, Mangalore, Manipal and Hassan medical and engineering colleges.

‘‘Most of the Malaysians who come here to study are of Indian origin and study medicine here. There are around 400 Malaysians registered in Bangalore. While most are students, there are also some business families here,’’ a police officer in charge of the FRRO office in Bangalore said. ‘‘Most students go away after their studies, while some come back for specialising in a particular branch of medicine,’’ he added.