KUALA LUMPUR: A document forgery syndicate has been busted with the arrests of six Bangladeshi men by the Immigration Department.
The syndicate had used fake passports to pass the required Foreign Workers’ Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema) health checks.
Immigration department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the six men, aged between 23 and 45, including their ringleader, were detained during an operation at Jalan Chemur and Jalan Ipoh on Tuesday (Dec 9).
"Initial checks revealed that four of them, including the mastermind, had overstayed, while the other two had no valid travel documents," he said in a statement on Thursday.
A total of 73 fake passports from various countries, including Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh, fake Fomema forms, passport face page printouts, computers, and other equipment used in the syndicate’s activities were seized during the operation, Zakaria added.
"The syndicate operated in luxury residences to evade authorities, targeting foreign nationals in the Klang Valley who were unfit for Fomema medical examinations.
"The syndicate uses the images of its members while inserting the personal details and original passport numbers of clients into the forged passports for health screenings at clinics,” he said.
He added that the syndicate is believed to have been operating for six months, charging RM100 to RM250 per fake passport and medical screening.
"This is the fourth operation this year involving the same modus operandi.
"We will continue to take strict action against any illegal activities that threaten the stability and prosperity of the country,” he added.
All suspects were brought to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action, with four detained under Section 15(4) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and two under Section 6(3) of the same Act.
