KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — The availability of forged Malaysian identification papers have raised concerns that high risk elements like terrorists could leverage on them to infiltrate the country and remained undetected, New Straits Times (NST) reported today.

Suspected Islamic State terrorists from the Philippines were reported to have easily secured falsified MyKads for prices ranging from RM1,000 to as low as RM350. This had made it easier for them to register for mobile telecommunications services and get jobs.

"One, who police identified as Dahwan, 22, was employed in Cheras. He bought the illicitly reproduced MyKad in Sabah for RM1,000… suspects holding such documents also face no problems registering for mobile phone numbers with local telecommunications companies,” the report said.

Another Filipino identified as Nurhan Sahi Hakim, 33, also gained employment in the country by assuming the identity of one "Yusof Attang”. He had been was arrested by counterterrorism operatives.

"Nurhan, who had been charged over the alleged offence, admitted that he bought the fake MyKad for only RM350,” the report said.

Southeast Asia regional director for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, Andrin Raj, in response to the information said the existence of foreigners with fake Malaysian identification documents posed serious threats to national security, a concern NST reported were echoed by counterterror operatives here.

"Terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah, in the past had established Malaysia as the ‘centre’ for securing fake documentation in Southeast Asia,” said Andrin.

NST also quoted an unnamed source in an enforcement agency as saying that several foreign terrorist fighters had penetrated the nation’s borders under the guise of someone else.

"The availability of fake Malaysian identification documents is worrying, especially when we don’t know who bought them and where they are.

"The worry is these people could make their way to sensitive areas,” the source said.

Corruption is likely a major factor allowing for identification documents forgery, that means investigation into the matter must go beyond arresting terrorists and target all links to transnational criminal group and corrupt public agencies.

"About 15 years ago, when I was working for the Finland embassy, an African came to apply for a visa..I was asked to verify his visa approval from Malaysia. We found a fake approval stamp on his passport,” Adrin said.

"There was also a case where an Afghan man entered Malaysia using a fake Spanish passport. He walked through the Immigration passport control with ease.

"He bought the passport for US$10,000 (RM39,399) and even knew which passport control line to walk through in Pakistan and Malaysia.”