PUTRAJAYA – Police arrested a Bangladeshi man, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the forging of immigration documents, following a raid on an apartment in Cheras on Monday.
Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said in the 10am operation, Intelligence, Special Operations and Analysis Department personnel arrested the 32-year-old mastermind, who has been on the department’s wanted list since 2017, and another 25-year-old Bangladeshi, believed to be the “middleman”.
He said the department had crippled a counterfeiting syndicate, which the first suspect formed, in 2017, but he evaded arrest, adding that a similar activity linked to the Bangladeshi was detected in March last year during the implementation of the movement control order to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“Efforts to track down the suspect went on until his arrest on Monday,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
Khairul Dzaimee said the suspect’s modus operandi is to rent two apartments, one to be used as a base for processing fake documents and the other as a residence.
“Both the apartments he rented were nearby to confuse enforcement agencies.”
He said the suspects got their clientele by advertising their illegal services through the WhatsApp application or by using middlemen, whose duty was to collect passports or payments.
“They are believed to have obtained about 150 clients a day, with most of them being Bangladeshis.”
The fees charged are different, with RM300 charged for a temporary working visit pass, RM20 for iKad and Construction Industry Development Board cards, and RM150 for a fake passport.
Khairul Dzaimee said police also seized various counterfeiting equipment, including printers, computers, as well as various passports, and RM8,300 cash.
He said both suspects were taken to Putrajaya to undergo Covid-19 screening in compliance with the standard operating procedures set by the Health Ministry, before being sent to the depot for further action.
The case is being investigated under Sections 55D and 56 (1)(k) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. – Bernama, January 13, 2021
