PETALING JAYA: Four foreigners were arrested after the Immigration Department busted a syndicate providing immigration-related services illegally in Kuala Lumpur.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said a joint special operation with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was carried out at two locations along Jalan Sultan Ismail at 11.50am on Monday (April 28).
The operation, which occurred at a shop lot and residential premises, saw the detention of four men, two Bangladeshi nationals, one Indian national and one Indonesian national, all of whom were aged between 23 and 48 years old.
He said two Malaysian men have also issued a notice to give statements to assist with the investigation.
Zakaria said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved offering immigration-related services for foreign workers wishing to renew their work permits and using social media to promote their services.
“They charged fees ranging between RM1,000 and RM2,000 per application and have been operating for one year.
“The operations team also seized city council business licenses, company documents, Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) certificates and business records.
“48 Bangladeshi passports, two Indian passports, six Indonesian passports, two (2) Pakistani passports, as well as RM2,400 in cash were also seized,” he said in a press statement on Tuesday (April 29).
He said that initial checks found that the two Bangladeshi nationals and the Indian national possessed valid Employment Passes, while the Indonesian national had overstayed his permitted time in the country.
He added that all the detained foreign nationals are suspected of committing offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966, and Immigration Regulations 1963, and are currently held at the Putrajaya Immigration Depot for further action.
“The case is also being investigated by DBKL under Section 20(1)(e) of the Licensing of Trades, Businesses and Industries (WPKL) by-laws 2016 for conducting activities not stated in their business license.
“Investigations are also underway under Section 79(1) of the Street, Drainage, and Building Act 1974 for constructing internal partitions to create rooms or office spaces without DBKL approval,” he said.
