Foreign syndicates arming travellers with photos of KLIA officers to evade detection

New Straits Times

5 days ago

SEPANG: In a troubling new development, enforcement authorities have discovered that foreign syndicates are now sending travellers to Malaysia equipped with photographs of Malaysian enforcement officers.
This is believed to be part of a coordinated effort to help them evade detection at international entry points.
Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said that during an operation at KLIA yesterday, officers found images of uniformed and plainclothes Malaysian officers stored on the mobile phones of several foreign nationals who were denied entry.
"These photographs were accompanied by voice messages, allegedly from agents in the travellers' home countries, instructing them to avoid the individuals shown in the images," he said.
The photos served as an "identification list" of enforcement officers stationed at KLIA, meant to help the travellers bypass them during immigration and customs screening.
"It's clear these syndicates are evolving. They are studying our enforcement patterns, monitoring officer deployments, and giving detailed instructions to the people they are smuggling in," Shuhaily said.
He described the move as "deeply concerning" and reflective of how trafficking syndicates have become more technologically savvy and emboldened in recent years.
"Our initial probe suggests that these images may have been taken by previous NTLs or deported travellers during their time in Malaysia, then sent back to the syndicate for circulation," he said, adding that some photos even appeared to have been taken inside holding areas at the airport.
Shuhaily said the discovery was not only a breach of enforcement privacy but also highlighted the need for enhanced internal safeguards to protect the identity of officers.
"These images are then passed from one traveller to another, almost like a 'blacklist' of officers to watch out for. This is dangerous. It creates a direct challenge to our operational integrity and puts our personnel at risk," he said.
The MCBA is now investigating how widespread the practice is and whether similar tactics are being used at other entry points. Initial cases involved travellers mostly from Bangladesh.
"We are dealing with a well-resourced, reactive syndicate network. As we move forward in our enforcement methods, they adapt just as quickly," he said.
"But this discovery gives us the edge to recalibrate our strategies."
On a separate matter involving counter setting, Shuhaily urged the public not to assume that merely transferring officers suspected of wrongdoing means authorities are turning a blind eye.
"Every officer deserves due process. But that doesn't mean we are idle. In fact, we're actively restructuring the way we handle internal accountability. Our objective is clear, we want these syndicates to know: Malaysia is not an easy target," he said.