IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT BUSTS SYNDICATE BEHIND FORGED PASSPORT APPLICATIONS, ARRESTS EIGHT

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 15 (Bernama) -- The Immigration Department has dismantled a syndicate that used forged documents to fraudulently obtain Malaysian passports.

The simultaneous special operation yesterday also led to the arrest of an immigration officer believed to have acted as a facilitator.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said a month-long investigation based on intelligence led to the breakthrough, with teams deployed across ten locations: six in Perak, and two each in Melaka and Johor.

"Eight individuals were arrested, comprising five men and two women, aged between 32 and 61. One of the men is believed to be a member of the syndicate. 

“An immigration officer suspected of being the group's 'facilitator' was also detained. The group is believed to have been operating since January 2025,” he said in a statement today.

Zakaria added that four birth certificates, one Malaysian passport, eight mobile phones, and thirteen copies of application forms were also seized.

He said preliminary investigation found that the two women and one of the men had posed as legal guardians, escorting a Sri Lankan boy and girl to an immigration office to fraudulently apply for Malaysian passports. 

“Three of the men used their identification cards to submit passport applications for adult Sri Lankan citizens. The syndicate is reported to have charged a fee of between RM5,000 and RM7,000 for each passport, both for children and adults,” he said.

Zakaria said the suspects have been remanded for further investigation under the Passports Act 1966. Another seven men and five women have been issued notices to present themselves at the Immigration Department to assist with the case.

-- BERNAMA