PUTRAJAYA: On the surface, it looked like any other empty building. In truth, the “abandoned hotel” was home to more than 90 foreigners operating a 24-hour scam syndicate.
The building in Sungai Lembing, Kuantan, was the syndicate’s base of operations, where they depended on generators for electricity to stay off the grid and avoid detection.
However, their ruse was uncovered after just three months of operation, when Immigration Department officers raided the premises on Oct 5.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said a total of 95 foreigners were arrested during the raid, including 84 Chinese nationals and a woman from Russia.
“We believe that the group has been active here for around three months. We also believe that this syndicate had been moving from country to country.
“Their operation here was off the grid, with electricity from generators and the use of other devices for Internet access,” he told a press conference yesterday, adding that the operation was self-sufficient, with meals prepared by cooks among the group.
“We also detained a local man believed to be the owner of the premises, as well as two other locals who had been working there.
“In total, the department arrested 98 people, aged from 20 to 75 years.”
Investigations also showed that the group paid around RM30,000 a month in rent, he added.
When asked about the group’s target market, Zakaria said syndicates would generally focus on their own countrymen.
Contracts for “employment” were also seized at the scene, showing that each worker was paid around RM3,000 per month, with the possibility of earning commissions if they reached their targets. They would also be penalised if they failed to meet their quotas.
Various passports were seized, including 49 Chinese passports and one Cambodian passport.
“Based on their passports, some were also found to have overstayed while others had entered the country without documents.
“A total of 41 Chinese men, three Chinese women and a Russian woman were arrested for allegedly committing offences under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. A Chinese man and a Cambodian woman were arrested for allegedly committing offences under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963,” he said.
“The department remains committed in conducting strict enforcement actions to combat any illegal activity in the country to persevere its security and sovereignty.”
In another matter, Zakaria said around half of the refugees registered under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were from Myanmar.
He said that according to the UNHCR, around 200,000 refugees were registered in the country.
“Our main objective is to confirm the exact figure of the number of refugees in this country.”
