PUTRAJAYA, Nov 21 — The Immigration Department (JIM) busted a passport forgery syndicate masterminded by a Bangladeshi national in a raid on a premise in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday.
In the 6.30am operation, the JIM Intelligence and Special Operations Division personnel arrested two Bangladeshi men, aged 26 and 28, at the Kepong Commercial Park carrying packages containing 105 fake passports.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said it was believed they were trying to post the passports to customers when they were arrested.
Following that, the 33-year-old mastermind, known as ‘Shimul’, was arrested in a house used to print the fake passports.
He said an inspection of the house led to the discovery of 15 more fake passports and equipment like passport covers, laptops, and a printer.
“In total, 120 fake passports were seized, including Indonesian, Bangladeshi, and Myanmar passports,” Ruslin said.
The syndicate is believed to have been operating for the past year by targeting foreigners without identification documents or passports as clients.
The fake passports were sold for between RM500 and RM700 each, and it is believed they can produce five to 10 copies of passports daily.
He said the syndicate is believed to send out the fake passports using courier service, and all cash transactions are done online.
A preliminary investigation found the mastermind and one of the suspects had Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) valid until 2024, while one of them had no documents on him.
“We believe there are other syndicate members involved and are tracking them down,” Ruslin said.
All three men have been detained for 14 days at the Kepong Immigration Depot for investigation under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
— Bernama