PUTRAJAYA, June 28 — The Immigration Department has detained a male Bangladesh national said to be an expert in making forged passports in a raid in Desa Tun Razak, Selangor yesterday.

Its director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said the 41-year-old man was the mastermind and expert in making forged passports, especially Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesian passports.

He said the man was also an expert in altering passports which had expired or belonged to someone else, to suit the needs of his clients.

"The man is also an expert at making fake Visit Pass-Temporary Employment (PLKS) stickers and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) cards,” he said in a statement today.

Mustafar said the forged passports were sold at between RM 300 and RM 500 each, while the PLKS stickers were between RM150 and RM 200 each and the fake CIDB cards were between RM 30 and RM 50.

"Initial investigations found that the syndicate had been carrying out document forging activities for about two to three years and is estimated to have earned profits of between RM50,000 and RM80,000. The syndicate is active in selling false documents in the Klang Valley and has cornered the market here,” he said.

Mustafar said in the raid which was conducted by the Surveillance Division, Special and Analysis Operations, the team found a printing machine, a scanning machine, a fake Malaysian exit stamp, a fake Malaysian entry stamp, an official Immigration Department stamp (Putrajaya Enforcement Division) and five fake Kuala Lumpur Bangladesh High Commission stamps, as well as equipment to make false documents.

"Arising from the investigations, the subject took the investigating team to another house which was the headquarters for making false documents. The second house is in the same area, but different block. A raid was conducted on the second house which was found to be unoccupied at that time,” he said.

Checks on the second premises found a laminating machine, a money detector and equipment and substances to make forged passports, he said.

"The syndicate is very slick in their activities. Both houses were specially rented as headquarters and they did not stay there,” he said. — Bernama