A syndicate accused of hacking the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs) to illegally process and approve Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) has been dismantled following a joint operation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM).
MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman said 12 individuals were arrested during Op Crack, including two company directors, three foreign nationals, four Immigration Department officers, two officers from JIM’s Information Technology Division, and one police officer.
The suspects, aged between their 30s and 40s, were arrested between 2pm and 5pm on Tuesday at the MACC headquarters and the Penang Immigration Department headquarters.
Preliminary investigations found that the syndicate allegedly exploited 2011 PLKS quotas to issue work passes without paying the required levy.
According to Abd Halim, a total of 1,306 fraudulent PLKS were issued, resulting in an estimated RM2.4 million in losses to the government.
Searches were also carried out at company premises as well as Immigration Department offices in Penang and Putrajaya.
He said the operation stemmed from intelligence-sharing between the MACC Intelligence Division and the JIM Intelligence Division, with investigations having been conducted since May 2026 in the Klang Valley and Penang.
The operation was also assisted by CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM), Telekom Malaysia, and the MACC Technology Forensics Division.
All 12 suspects are expected to be brought before the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court for remand proceedings. The case is being investigated under Sections 17(a) and 16(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
