A major police operation has taken place as the search for a Tongan national continues.

Paea Teu, a 28-year-old immigration detainee, allegedly stabbed an Australian Border Force contractor and assaulted another before escaping from a car bound for Sydney Airport on Thursday morning.

A manhunt has been under way since.

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On Friday, police launched an operation after receiving information that Teu was at an address on Duncansby Cr in St Andrews, in Sydney’s southwest.

Police from Campbelltown, with help from the dog unit, set up a cordon around the house and went inside, but Teu was not there.

The escaped detainee remains on the run.

Police are warning the public not to approach him, but to report any sightings immediately.

He is described as Pacific Islander/Maori in appearance, with a tanned complexion, a large build, about 180cm tall with black hair, dark eyes and is unshaven.

Teu was being transported from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney’s west and was due to be deported for overstaying his visa in Australia.

He allegedly attacked the driver and a passenger inside the car about 3.40am, before fleeing the vehicle.

A 54-year-old man was stabbed in the neck and cheek, while a 36-year-old male contractor was also physically assaulted.

Both Australian Border Force workers were taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.