PUTRAJAYA, March 30 ― The Immigration Department (JIM) has arrested a local man who masqueraded as a senior immigration officer to sell fake Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS) at between RM3,000 and RM4,000 each through social media.

The suspect, who posed as Immigration senior deputy assistant director (TPPK) from the department’s headquarters, here, was arrested at about 12.15pm Wednesday in a car wearing Immigration uniform with the TPPK rank in front of a fast food food restaurant at Sunway City while waiting for customers.

Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said the suspect, 45, using the false name of "James Tay”, was found to have been carrying out his activities for six years, with most of his victims being foreign workers from Bangladesh and Vietnam who had fled from their employers.

"The victims only realised the PLKS given by James Tay were fake when they were arrested by the department,” he said in a press conference here yesterday.

Mustafar said an inspection of the suspect's car found five pieces of JIM’s authority cards, five pieces of JIM cards and nine copies of special passes believed to be fake.

An inspection at the suspect's house in Puchong Jaya, Selangor found nine JIM uniforms, uniform accessories, foreign workers' application documents, seven JIM authority cards and 13 JIM passes. ― Bernama