Immigration Dept shuts down syndicate believed to be manipulating RTK 2.0 for profit

PETALING JAYA: A syndicate led by a Bangladeshi man is believed to have been manipulating the Recalibration Program 2.0 (RTK 2.0).

The man would target foreigners who had documentation problems and approach them.

For a fee of RM7,000, the man would offer to handle the recalibration application for them.

Immigration Department director general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said they conducted an operation on Wednesday night (Feb 14) and raided a premise at Petaling Jaya.

"A team from the Putrajaya Immigration Intelligence and Special Operations Division raided the premises at 10pm and arrested a 31-year-old Bangladeshi man.

"Our investigations revealed that he was the mastermind for this syndicate," he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 15).

He said checks revealed the suspect himself did not have a valid passport

"We seized RM2,000 cash,188 copies of Bangladesh passports, five copies of Indonesian passports, four copies of Indian passports, four copies of Pakistani passports, four copies of Nepalese passports, and one Thailand passport, as well as various RTK 2.0 application forms and a laptop.

"The syndicate's modus operandi is to target citizens from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand who have problems in Malaysia, such as lack of identity documents and visas," he said.

He added that the suspect would approach those with these problems and then offer services, such as dealing with RTK 2.0 Program applications at the Immigration Office.

"Our checks revealed that the syndicate would register companies with Malaysian citizens in a bid to manipulate the RTK 2.0 and make a profit at the same time.

"The syndicate is believed to have been operating for a year and was charging fees of around RM7,000 for each individual," he said, adding that the suspect has been detained at the Putrajaya Immigration Depot for further investigation.

He said a female Malaysian citizen was also handed a notice to appear at the Immigration Office to assist in the investigation.

"The department will continue to take strict action against any party found committing offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, The Immigration Regulations of 1963 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM)," he said.