
Immigration dept busts document fraud syndicate in KL
PETALING JAYA : The immigration department busted a syndicate falsifying immigration and identification documents, masterminded by a father-and-son team, in an operation along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman near Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Harian Metro reported Kuala Lumpur immigration director Wan Saupee Wan Yusoff as saying the duo, aged 34 and 60, was arrested in the 7pm operation.
'An inspection of the premises resulted in the discovery of various equipment for producing false immigration and identification documents.
'The syndicate offered e-passes for temporary work visit passes, immigration department cards, Construction Industry Development Board personnel cards and such,' he said at his office today.
Wan Saupee said investigations showed that the syndicate had charged between RM60 and RM140 per document, with each document taking less than a day to produce.
He said the suspects were detained under Sections 55D and 56(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for falsifying documents and harbouring illegal immigrants.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Malay Mail
42 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
What happens when you live next to a construction site in Bangsar... and what needs to be done when there is a ‘conflict' (VIDEO)
KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — Imagine not being able to drive in and out of your own house because some lorries use the road in front of your house as a temporary parking spot. That is what Mandy, who lives on Lorong Maarof just a stone's throw away from the under-construction Bangsar Hill Park condominium project, had to endure the past two years. She told Malay Mail that two to six lorries would queue up outside her house while waiting to go up to the construction site. Her husband Harriz added that the lorries arrived as early as 5am and made a lot of noise. These lorries would obstruct her house throughout the day including in the late mornings and afternoons. So each time she wanted to leave the house, she would have to get them to move... often there would be yelling on their side as if she was inconveniencing them. And when she returned home, the same scene would play out... except it would involve honking at them as she could not leave her car in the middle of the road to get out and speak to them. Things finally came to a head on June 11, when two long lorries — parked outside her neighbour's house next door and her own house — totally blocked off all access to her house, and Mandy had to honk repeatedly to get them to move. Mandy captured the incident on video which happened close to 11.30am, with a man coming over and gesturing to her after one of the lorries had moved away. On the same day, she wrote an email to the developer where she explained the family's struggles, and how she felt unsafe and fearful due to the 'intimidating glares' or aggressive behaviour of the lorry drivers. She also explained that she had to honk frequently upon her return home to get the lorry drivers' attention, as it would be unsafe for her to stop in the middle of the road and leave her young child unattended in the car with the engine on. Two lorries are seen outside the entrance of the Bangsar resident's house on June 11, 2025. — Picture courtesy of Mandy Harriz told Malay Mail that the lorries parked outside his house also posed a danger to road users, as they would obstruct the road users' view of the road and other incoming vehicles at the road junction. Similarly, the couple said their view of the road is also obstructed by the lorries when they drive in and out of their house. Road users at the junction near the project site would have their views obstructed if lorries are parked on the road outside the Lorong Maarof resident's house. Road shown here on a public holiday June 27, 2025. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin Complaints made to DBKL Mandy also filed a complaint to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) on June 11 via the ADU@KL platform, where she said construction vehicles and lorries frequently block her house's entrance and still park there, despite her repeated requests for them to move. Harriz lodged four complaints last year on the ADU@KL platform about vehicles such as lorries, cars and motorcycles treating the pedestrian walkway outside his house as a free parking space, which he said caused obstruction to his house's entrance while also endangering pedestrians. In response to his latest ADU@KL complaint on September 13, 2024, DBKL said its investigations on September 26 morning had found the complaint to have basis, and that four notices to compound offences under road traffic rules were issued to four such vehicles on that day. From October last year until May this year, Harriz had also on five occasions lodged complaints — through WhatsApp to DBKL's enforcement department — of construction work being carried out beyond permitted working hours, such as past 8pm or on a public holiday. Malay Mail understands that the developer Bangsar Hill Park Development Sdn Bhd had on June 24 responded to Mandy's June 11 complaint by sharing the measures it had taken, including having a traffic controller to manage the lorries' movements and minimise obstruction. Among other things, the developer is understood to have told Mandy that it would reinforce ongoing review of compliance with permitted working hours and noise levels. Photograph of obstruction by construction lorry outside the Bangsar resident's house along Lorong Maarof on June 25, 2025. — Picture courtesy of Mandy When met recently, the couple told Malay Mail that the situation improved for about a week after the developer's email response, before they experienced obstruction again on June 25. Malay Mail was later told that there have been several other incidents of obstruction since then. The couple also recorded video clips of the site past 8pm on a weekday (June 25), which showed a moving crane at the top of the construction site. Photograph of obstruction by construction lorry outside the Bangsar resident's house along Lorong Maarof on May 30, 2025. — Picture courtesy of Mandy What the developer said Separately, when contacted by Malay Mail for a response to the Bangsar resident's June 11 complaint, the developer said it takes all public feedback seriously. 'As part of our ongoing site management protocols, we have long implemented the following measures to proactively manage the situation around the Bangsar Hill Park (BHP) construction site,' it said in a recent email reply, listing five measures which it had taken. This included daily traffic control to prevent construction vehicles from obstructing traffic flow or causing traffic congestion, and daily inspections to make sure no construction-related vehicles park on the road shoulders along Lorong Maarof. As part of those measures, the company said it had helped install plastic bollards along the roadside in front of the construction site to 'deter illegal parking by unrelated public vehicles'. According to the company, it regularly communicates with the Lorong Maarof Residents' Committee representative: 'We update him weekly on our traffic control measures and continue to engage with the community to address any concerns that arise.' As for the fifth measure listed, the company said its site activities have been operating according to DBKL-approved working hours and that it would investigate further if specific cases of non-compliance are raised. Plastic bollards are seen by the roadside in front of the construction site near Lorong Maarof, Bangsar onJune 27, 2025. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin


New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
RM8,000 per worker: Employers turning to illegal agents, says Immigration Dept
PUTRAJAYA: More than 2,000 employers have been caught hiring undocumented foreign workers over the past three years, often lured by cheaper labour and supplied through illegal agents charging up to RM8,000 per worker. Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said that from 2023 to this year, enforcement action had been taken against 2,368 employers, with compound fines amounting to RM43.16 million. A total of 1,034 employers were prosecuted in court. In 2023, 605 employers were detained and fined RM10.62 million, with 386 charged in court. In 2024, 1,123 employers were detained, RM19.65 million in fines issued, and 462 prosecuted. So far this year, 640 employers have been detained, with RM12.88 million in fines issued and 186 charged in court. Zakaria said many blacklisted employers were using illegal agents or syndicates to supply workers, bypassing proper procedures and exploiting loopholes in the system. "These syndicates use various tactics, including forged documents and unlicensed agents," he said. In one recent case, six people were arrested and passports seized — 394 Bangladeshi, six Indonesian, two Indian, nine Pakistani, and one Filipino. "These agents supply foreign workers to blacklisted employers at a cost of RM8,000 per person," he said, adding that some syndicates exploit the Labour Recalibration Programme and approved worker quotas to provide manpower to ineligible employers, charging exorbitant fees. He said some syndicates also use premises as transit houses to hide foreign workers before placement. "In one case, five Indian women were hidden in a toilet for nearly three weeks while waiting to be sent to an employer," he added. The syndicates are also known to offer illegal renewal services for Temporary Employment Visit Passes, charging between RM4,000 and RM6,000 per worker annually without going through proper legal channels. Zakaria said that hiring undocumented foreign workers is an offence under Section 55(b) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155). Employers may also be prosecuted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) if there are elements of exploitation or trafficking.


Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Kedah company director duped of RM300,000 in Facebook investment scam
ALOR SETAR, July 9 — A company director lost more than RM300,000 after falling victim to an investment scam promoted through an online advertisement in mid-May. Kedah police contingent headquarters Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief, Supt Loi Yew Lik said the 44-year-old man lodged a police report at 1.04pm on Monday after realising he was a victim of an investment scam. 'On May 11, the complainant had come across a Facebook advertisement offering an investment opportunity and later contacted several individuals via WhatsApp. 'The suspects promised daily returns of 10 per cent, and from May 14 to June 17, the victim transferred a total of RM302,100,' he said in a statement yesterday. According to Loi, the complainant made 18 transactions to three different accounts but became suspicious and realised he had been scammed when the suspects requested additional funds for him to withdraw both the promised returns and his capital. 'The public is advised to verify with the police before making any suspicious transactions. Checks can also be done via the Semak Mule application, the JSJK PDRM Facebook page, or by contacting the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997,' he said. — Bernama