KUALA LUMPUR: A 21-year-old Filipino man was stopped by authorities at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) on Thursday (July 30) after allegedly attempting to leave Sabah using a travel pass with fake immigration endorsements.
The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said the suspect was found in possession of a social visit pass that included an entry endorsement dated July 28 and an exit endorsement dated July 30.
"However, checks revealed that neither endorsements were recorded in the Immigration Department’s system, leading authorities to believe it was falsified.
"The man was detained on suspicion of attempting to mislead authorities about the actual duration of his stay in the country," the AKPS said in a statement on Friday (Aug 1).
Further inspection revealed the suspect held two flight boarding passes.
"One is for a flight to Kuala Lumpur on July 30, and another to Manila, Philippines, scheduled for the following day.
"Authorities are investigating the purpose of the two tickets to determine the suspect's possible modus operandi," the agency added.
The case has been handed over to the Immigration department for further investigation under Section 56(1)(l) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which pertains to the possession or use of false documents without lawful authority.
"We take all attempts to forge travel documents seriously and we are committed to tightening security checks at all national entry and exit points to safeguard Malaysia’s sovereignty and public safety," the AKPS said.
