SHAH ALAM: A syndicate producing fake work permits for foreigners has been busted, with the arrest of 17 individuals including two ringleaders in 11 raids conducted in Klang and Shah Alam yesterday and on Tuesday.
Selangor Commercial Crime Investigation Department head ACP Fazlisyam Abd Majid said the 17 comprise a local man of Pakistani descent, a local woman, seven male Pakistani nationals and eight Bangladeshi men, all aged between 19 and 40.
Speaking at a press conference here today, Fazlisyam said the syndicate, which had been active for the past year, had two ringleaders comprising the local man and a Pakistani national who did not have his passport on him, while the local woman and eight of the men had acted as runners.
The syndicate had been operating under the cover of a legitimate Klang-based business which supplies foreign workers.
The syndicate’s modus operandi was to source for undocumented foreign workers from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan who were in Malaysia, and to offer them the fake work permits, after which the services of the workers would be offered to employers in Selangor.
Investigations so far, showed that about 30 foreigners with fake work permits had already been supplied to employers but police believed the number of such foreigners was much higher, said Fazlisyam, adding that the syndicate had charged RM400 for each fake permit, and were believed to make a profit of RM5,000 a month.
Items seized during the raids include two laptops, a printing machine and two laminated fake permits, as well as six i-Kad (a personal identification document issued to foreigners) suspected to be fake.
Eight of the 17 individuals have been remanded to assist with investigations under section 420 of the Penal Code for the offence of cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property, while a remand application for the remaining individuals will be made tomorrow.
On another matter, Fazlisyam said eight local men aged 25 to 30, had been arrested in a two-storey terrace house in Puchong on Wednesday, for suspected involvement in loan shark activities.
The raid followed five police reports made by victims whose premises had been smeared with red paint by the men, four of whom have previous criminal records relating to drugs, loan shark activities and assault. - Bernama
