A syndicate believed to have forged foreign passports to bypass health screening requirements for migrant workers has been dismantled following a special operation by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
The operation, which began at 11pm, was carried out at Taman Sri Kuching and Taman Bukit Cheras by officers from the Intelligence and Special Operations Division of the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the raids were launched after a month of intelligence gathering and information received from the public, leading authorities to residential premises believed to be used by the syndicate.
He said three Indonesian nationals, aged between 30 and 50, were arrested, including a man believed to be the mastermind, along with another man and a woman suspected of being members of the group.
Initial investigations found that the alleged mastermind possessed a Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS) under the construction sector, while the other two suspects were believed to have overstayed in Malaysia.
During the operation, officers seized 119 passports suspected to have been forged, involving Indonesian, Bangladeshi, Myanmar, Vietnamese, Nepalese and Indian passports.
Authorities also confiscated a printer, several mobile phones and RM1,500 in cash believed to be proceeds from the syndicate’s activities.
Zakaria said the syndicate targeted foreign workers in the Klang Valley who wanted to undergo compulsory Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (FOMEMA) health screenings but had either failed previous examinations or were deemed medically unfit.
He said the passports were allegedly altered or modified to enable the holders to pass through the health screening process using falsified identities.
The syndicate is believed to have charged between RM80 and RM130 for each forged passport.
Zakaria added that this was the fifth case involving a syndicate using the same modus operandi, with the group believed to have been operating since the beginning of the year.
The alleged mastermind is being investigated under Section 12(1)(f) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the other two suspects are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the same Act.
All three suspects have been taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further investigation, while JIM vowed to continue taking firm action against those involved in activities that violate the country’s immigration laws.
