JOHOR BARU: For months, a young Bangladeshi national has been taking in huge profits by operating a fake work permit renewal syndicate that targeted foreign workers.
To make his operations look legitimate, the 26-year-old even set up a company that provided services on immigration matters which he registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
However, his world came crashing down after the Immigration Department arrested him and tw his workers - a Bangladeshi and a Myanmar national - in Tampoi at around 1.55pm during Ops Serkap on Tuesday (Dec 19).
Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said when being detained during the operation, the suspect claimed to be the chairman of a private company here.
“We believe the suspect has been running a fake work permit renewal syndicate, where he has been making money off foreign workers since early this year here.
Checks with the SSM revealed his company had been registered in May and we believe that the reason behind the registration is to make his modus operandi look legal among foreign workers.
Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir (second from right) going through a passport, which is some of the seized items made on Ops Serkap during a press conference held at state Immigration headquarters in Home Ministry Complex in Setia Tropika, Johor Baru here on Wednesday (Dec 20). — THOMAS YONG/The Star
“His main target are foreign workers who have issues renewing their work permits and the Workforce Recalibration Programme (RTK 2.0) work permit application,” he added.
Baharuddin said this in a press conference held at Johor Immigration Department headquarters at Home Ministry Complex in Setia Tropika here on Wednesday (Dec 20).
He added that the syndicate's modus operandi was to find and collect passports from house to house of their targeted group where they would charge a fee of RM6,500 per applicant under the RTK 2.0 programme.
Baharuddin said besides the arrests, the department also seized three Bangladesh passports, two Indonesia passports, a laptop computer, an external hard disk, which contained various RTK 2.0 application information, a mobile phone and cash amounting to RM2,058.
“The departments also seized a black luxury vehicle, which we have reason to believe is owned by the main suspect,” he added.
Baharuddin said the suspects were being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, Section 12(1)(f) Passport Act 166 (Act 150), Section 55E of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155) and Section 56(1A)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
“I would like to remind the public, especially foreign workers and their employers, that the Immigration Department has never appointed a third party or an agent to act on our behalf to get immigrants to register under the RTK 2.0 programme." he said.
