KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The Immigration Department has arrested two Indonesian men believed to be behind a fake Immigration security stamps syndicate during operations conducted in Taman Kepong Indah and Taman Dagang, Ampang here yesterday.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said investigations revealed that the two men, identified as ‘Padi’ and ‘Amir’, both 52, did not possess valid passes or travel documents.

“The suspect, known as Amir, was arrested in June last year for the same offence, deported and blacklisted in the Immigration system, but is believed to have re-entered Malaysia via an ungazetted entry point.

“The syndicate’s modus operandi was to provide ‘immigration services’ by offering purported entry and exit endorsements to Indonesian nationals in the Klang Valley who had overstayed in the country,” he said in a statement today.

Zakaria said preliminary investigations found the syndicate had been active for about a year, using WhatsApp, Telegram and TikTok to find customers, charging between RM100 and RM350 per endorsement, with payments made online.

He said the operations led to the seizure of 20 fake Immigration security stamps, 16 copies of Indonesian passports, four copies of Indonesian travel permits, two mobile phones, a laptop, a printer, a scanner, and two vehicles used by the syndicate.

Zakaria said that the two individuals were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action and the case was being investigated under Section 56(1)(l) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

In a separate operation at 2pm yesterday, Zakaria said the department busted a Bangladeshi migrant smuggling syndicate known as the “Shafik Gang” following a raid on a house in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, which was used as a hiding place and transit point for illegal immigrants.

“A search of the house in the shop lot area resulted in the arrest of nine Bangladeshi men suspected of being smuggled into the country. They are believed to have entered a neighbouring country around two days ago before being smuggled into Malaysia.

“Also arrested were two Bangladeshi syndicate members who acted as facilitators and guards at the transit house,” he said.

He added that the syndicate was believed to have been active since last February, providing services to bring foreigners into the country via third-country routes and illegal entry through Kelantan before transporting them directly to the Klang Valley and sending them to specific destinations.

Zakaria said the syndicate collected fees of RM12,000 to RM15,000 for each smuggled immigrant and was believed to have earned about RM1.6 million since it began operating.

He said all the immigrants, aged between 20 and 49, were detained at the Putrajaya Immigration Depot for investigation under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007.

In a separate development, Zakaria said a total of 32 enforcement operations were carried out on May 4, leading to the arrest of 150 illegal immigrants for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63.

He said 13 employers were also arrested on suspicion of hiring foreigners without valid travel documents or passes during the same period. — Bernama