PUTRAJAYA: The immigration department has crippled a passport-forging syndicate led by a Bangladeshi man.
Its director-general Ruslin Jusoh said that three Bangladeshi men, aged between 26 and 33, were arrested in a special operation in Kepong yesterday.
Two of the suspects were arrested near the Kepong commercial park carrying 61 Bangladeshi passports, 43 Indonesian passports, and a Myanmar passport, all believed to be fake.
Another man, the 33-year-old mastermind, was arrested in an apartment along Jalan Kepong where the enforcement team seized 15 counterfeit Bangladeshi passports, two laptops, and two printers.
“We believe the syndicate has been in operation for a year and charged prospects who overstayed in Malaysia a fee of between RM500 and RM700,” Ruslin said at a press conference.
He said its customers comprised Bangladeshis, Myanmar nationals, Indonesians, Indians, Nepalis and Pakistanis.
Based on preliminary investigations, the department has not ruled out the possibility that the syndicate was linked to another group issuing counterfeit temporary work visit pass stickers.