The Immigration Department has once again busted a passport forgery syndicate, arresting three Indonesian nationals (both male and female) and seizing 119 fake passports.
Immigration Department Director-General Datuk Zakaria stated that on the night of August 4, the Immigration Department launched a special enforcement operation that successfully dismantled a criminal syndicate suspected of forging passports for foreigners to undergo Foreign Worker Medical Examination (FOMEMA) checkups. Three Indonesians, aged between 30 and 50—including a man believed to be the syndicate ringleader—were arrested. Immigration Department arrested three Indonesians involved in the case; shown is the female suspect.He pointed out that preliminary investigations revealed the ringleader held a temporary work permit in the construction industry, while the other two suspects were allegedly overstaying their visas.
He said that following a tip-off from the public and after a month-long investigation, at 11:00 p.m. the Putrajaya Immigration Department Headquarters Intelligence and Special Operations Team conducted a raid at residential units in Taman Sri Kuching and Taman Bukit Cheras in Kuala Lumpur.
Zakaria stated that during the operation, enforcement officers seized 119 passports believed to be forged, including 85 Indonesian passports, 7 Bangladeshi passports, 22 Myanmar passports, 2 Vietnamese passports, 1 Nepali passport, and 2 Indian passports, as well as a printer, multiple mobile phones, and RM1,500 in cash. The Immigration Department dismantled another passport forgery syndicate, and seized some cash and mobile phones."Investigations found that this syndicate specifically targeted foreigners in the Klang Valley preparing for Foreign Worker Medical Examination (FOMEMA) health checkups, providing them with forged passports by modifying or altering their passport information so that they could be used during checkups.
"Each fake passport was charged at between RM80 and RM130. This is the fifth time this year that the Immigration Department has busted a syndicate using the same modus operandi. It is believed that this syndicate had been operating since the beginning of this year."
He stated that the ringleader is suspected of violating Section 12(1)(f) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the other two foreigners are suspected of violating Section 6(1)(c) of the same act. All suspects have been taken back to the Putrajaya Immigration Department for further investigation.
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