PUTRAJAYA: An illegal agent syndicate that provided travel documents, among others, to foreigners, has been busted with the arrest of 13 individuals following a series of raids.
Immigration Department deputy director-general (operations) Jafri Embok Taha said 11 Bangladeshi men, an Indian man and a Malaysian woman were detained in raids in Bandar Menjalara, Jalan Medan Tuanku, Jalan Tiong Nam and Jalan Cheras in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
“We carried out the raids after gathering intelligence for about two weeks,” he said, adding that the suspects were aged between 33 and 53.
“The local woman is believed to be a company owner,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Three of the Bangladeshi men and the Indian man had valid passes while two other Bangladeshi men had overstayed, Jafri Embok said.
“The remaining foreigners detained did not have any travel documents or passes,” he added.
Jafri Embok said various items were seized, including 530 passports of various countries, a printer, 14 company seals, three birth certificates and RM13,900 in cash.
“The syndicate would illegally offer services to handle matters with the Immigration Department on various issues concerning passports and passes for foreigners, including social visit passes, temporary work permits for foreign workers and visas.
“They charged RM500 for their services and have been operating for a year,” he said.
