Group arrested for running sham labour agency

PUTRAJAYA: Two Bangladeshi men and their Malaysian wives, believed to be operating a fraudulent outsourcing syndicate to make a profit of over RM2.04mil from the government’s Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK), have been arrested.

Department director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the four as well as two other Bangladeshi men were detained following raids at Jalan Lumut in Kuala Lumpur and Pandan Cahaya in Ampang, Selangor, on Wednesday.

He said the syndicate was operating a phony labour agency used as a base for their operations.

“We seized 488 passports from countries including Bangladesh (457), Indonesia (eight), India (eight), Pakistan (eight), Myanmar (six) and Nepal (one).

“We also seized RM38,308 in cash, two computers and 12 stamps believed to be used in the RTK activities,” he told reporters yesterday.

Khairul Dzaimee added that they also arrested two other Bangladeshi men who were believed to be the middle men for the syndicate.

He said investigations revealed the syndicate charged between RM3,500 and RM4,200 (per migrant worker) to obtain a Temporary Working Visit Pass (PLKS) for various sectors through the programme.

“Based on these numbers we estimate the syndicate has made at least RM2.04mil in profits so far.

“The mastermind, a Bangladeshi man aged 36, was one of the suspects arrested.

“Our investigations revealed he became a permanent resident in 2015 after he married a Malaysian woman,” he said adding that the syndicate was believed to be active for at least two years.

He said action was now being taken to investigate just how many others were involved in these activities.

“We will also be checking our database. If any of these 488 passport holders obtained their PLKS through this syndicate, it will be revoked,” he said.

Khairul Dzaimee said his department had never appointed any individual or agency to manage the RTK programme.

“We advise the public, especially employers and foreign workers, to only deal directly with the Immigration Department and not entertain any third parties,” he said.