KUALA LUMPUR: A syndicate allegedly involved in facilitating the entry of blacklisted Chinese nationals into Malaysia and running online scams, including “love scams”, was busted following the arrests of 21 people.
The syndicate was uncovered following a special operation conducted on Aug 19 at KL International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 and a residential premises in Nilai, Negri Sembilan.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation, which began at 5.55pm, was carried out by officers from the department’s Intelligence and Special Operations Division as well as its Security and Passport Division.
He said the operation followed a month-long intelligence-gathering exercise and information from the public.
“At KLIA, enforcement officers detained a local man believed to be a syndicate member, along with two Chinese nationals – a man and a woman aged between 50 and 53 years old.
“Initial investigations found that the syndicate facilitated the entry of foreign nationals into Malaysia, particularly Chinese nationals believed to have been blacklisted by the Immigration Department,” he said in a statement issued on Friday (Aug 21).
Zakaria said the suspects allegedly possessed two Chinese passports bearing different passport numbers.
He said the passports not blacklisted by the department were used to pass through the e-Gates at KLIA, while the blacklisted passports were found in the suspects’ bags.
"The local syndicate member allegedly transported the Chinese nationals to designated locations for fees ranging from RM150 to RM500 per person, depending on the destination.
"Four Chinese passports, four mobile phones and a sports utility vehicle (SUV), believed to have been used by the syndicate were seized," he said.
Following questioning, officers conducted a follow-up raid at a residential premises in Taman Desa Melati, Nilai, where they detained the alleged masterminds and other syndicate members, he added.
"Those detained included two Chinese men, a Chinese woman and a Russian woman believed to be the masterminds, as well as nine Chinese men, a Vanuatu man, a Pakistani man, a Chinese woman, an Indian woman and a Myanmar woman.
"The foreign nationals detained were aged between 23 and 33 years old," he said.
Immigration checks found that they had entered Malaysia using Social Visit Passes, Zakaria said.
"At the residential premises, we seized 28 Chinese passports, one each from Myanmar, India, Vanuatu and Russia, 11 desktop computers, laptops, 40 mobile phones and RM4,800 in cash believed to be proceeds from the activities," he said.
Zakaria said the syndicate allegedly used luxury homes in secluded areas as operational centres for online fraud.
“The syndicate used social media platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp to deceive victims through ‘love scams’ and the sale of counterfeit goods at purported original prices.
“The syndicate targeted victims overseas using prepared scripts, while members were paid commissions based on the number of victims they managed to deceive,” he said.
The syndicate was believed to have generated profits of up to US$50,000 (RM202,275) from the activities, which had reportedly been operating since early this year.
Zakaria said the local syndicate member and four alleged masterminds were detained under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The other foreign nationals were detained for alleged offences under Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
All those detained were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration office for further action.
The department, he added, would continue to step up enforcement efforts to curb activities that violated Malaysian laws.
