.JPG "Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali speaks during a press conference in Putrajaya September 11, 2017. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Miera Zulyana")
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — A new syndicate is marrying off foreign women to local elderly men to acquire the long-term social visit pass (SVP), Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali has said.
In a report by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, he said the syndicate on “marriage of convenience” would then use the SVP as a way to make the women to enter sex work or as escorts.
Mustafar said out of 13,691 pass holders that were cancelled or deported home this year, 1,934 were found to have abused the SVP.
He said those working as escorts were found be “married” to Malaysian men and hold valid marriage certifications, but further investigations showed that the marriage was only on paper in order to extend their SVP.
“When the ‘husbands’ come to bail [the wives], they gave the excuse that they had allowed their wives to go out and have fun at entertainment centres, but were instead involved in prostitution.
“We believe the local men were paid by the syndicate run by locals, but investigations are ongoing to determine the culprit behind it,” he reportedly said.
Mustafar told the Malay daily that the syndicates are getting smarter and have set up secret compartments to hide the women from the authorities.
“Last Sunday, a raid was conducted at an entertainment premise in Perak but only found male customers to be there.
“However, when probed further, there was a wall that was controlled remotely, which had led to a secret alley where the escorts were hidden,” he was quoted saying.
