PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department busted a syndicate which had been active in producing fake passports and foreign worker employment passes, led by a mastermind known as ‘’Mama Bangla’’, in an operation spanning three separate locations in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The operation saw the arrest of the 25-year-old male Bangladeshi mastermind, as well as another Bangladeshi man, aged 39.
In a statement issued today, Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the syndicate was believed to have been in passport forgery operation since 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, with “Mama Bangla” charging fees of RM200 for a fake passport, RM200 for a visit pass (temporary employment) and RM50 for an ‘‘i-Kad’’ and ‘’Kad CIDB’’.
He said the syndicate’s activities were discovered following the arrest of the 39-year-old suspect in Brickfields, who told immigration authorities during investigations, about the mastermind.
This information resulted in the arrest of the mastermind near Jalan Munshi, Kuala Lumpur, following which ‘’Mama Bangla’’ led the immigration team to a condominium at Jalan Putramas, where 17 fake foreign passports and six visit passes were seized, along with equipment such as a computer, printing machine and scanner believed to have been used to produce the false documents.
Both men have been detained at the Putrajaya Immigration detention depot for further investigations in connection with offences committed under the Passports Act 1966 and the Immigration Act 1959/63. — Bernama
