Stuffed panda containing 'evidence' thrown out of condo, Immigration officers bust fake work permit ring

PUTRAJAYA : In a bid to get rid of the evidence of their illegal activities, syndicate members stuffed passports and fake Immigration stamps into a toy panda and threw it from the 13th floor of a Sungai Besi condominium.

Unfortunately for them, the authorities managed to get hold of the soft toy and used it as evidence to arrest five Vietnamese nationals believed to be offering an illegal Immigration stamping services for their countrymen who have overstayed.

Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the two men and three women were nabbed during a raid at the condominium at midnight on Thursday (July 18).

"During the raid, one of the suspects acted violently and threatened one of the raiding officers with a meat cleaver. However, the situation was brought under control and no untoward incident occurred," he told reporters on Friday (July 19).

The authorities seized 61 Vietnamese passports, eight fake Immigration entry and exit stamps and a laptop.

Khairul Dzaimee said the syndicate is believed to have been operating for the past three months.

The syndicate would offer the illegal services for Vietnamese nationals who had entered the country using a social pass but did not return home after it expired and had remained in Malaysia to work illegally.

The suspects have been arrested and are currently being held at the KLIA Immigration depot.