KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — The Immigration Department is in the midst of tracking down 21,378 foreign workers suspected of using the services of a Temporary Working Visit Pass (PLKS) syndicate since last year, says Immigration Department director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud.

He said the foreigners were believed to be working in various sectors including plantation, manufacturing and cleaning services.

"So far, the syndicate that has been active for the past few years has been found not to involve the countries (legal agents) supplying the foreign labour. Those who bought the passes were individuals and employers.

"The data on foreign workers is in the system. If we find them selling the PLKS, they will be detained and deported from the country after going through a certain process,” he said here in a press conference on the large-scale operation to cripple a syndicate that hacked into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) database to issue the PLKS.

Khairul Dzaimee said the government had also suffered losses of RM4.7 million in levies based on payments of between RM600 to RM1,600 imposed for each valid PLKS, depending on the type of employment sector.

He said although the syndicate managed to hack the PLKS system, they failed to change the blacklist status of foreigners who had been banned from entering the country.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki said RM25.5 million in cash and assets were seized from the syndicate which included 34 luxury watches.

He said the MACC also confiscated various electronic equipment believed to be used to process fake PLKS. — Bernama