Civil servants nabbed in Klang Valley fake work pass syndicate

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban says two civil servants are among several people arrested following an Immigration Department bust on a syndicate involved in producing counterfeit stickers and Temporary Employment Visit Passes (ePLKS) in separate raids across the Klang Valley. – NSTP pic

KUALA LUMPUR: Two civil servants are among several people arrested following an Immigration Department bust on a syndicate involved in producing counterfeit stickers and Temporary Employment Visit Passes (ePLKS) in separate raids across the Klang Valley.

The pair — a man and a woman — are believed to be key operatives in the syndicate, which charged foreign nationals up to RM11,000 each for the illegal service.

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the first raid, conducted at 11am on Sunday, targeted two premises along Jalan Ipoh. The operation was carried out by officers from the Intelligence and Special Operations Division based at Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya.

"Acting on complaints and two weeks of surveillance, the team moved in and inspected the premises, where they found one man and two local women conducting transactions," he said in a statement today.

Among those detained was a Pakistani man, believed to be the syndicate's ringleader. Initial checks revealed he did not possess valid travel documents or a permit to remain in the country.

The team also seized 13 forged stickers, including six purportedly for Bangladesh visas, two for the United States, and one each for Indonesia and Pakistan. Also confiscated were a biometric passport sticker for Bangladesh, a desktop computer, a laptop, and a printer.

Zakaria said the syndicate's modus operandi involved editing and printing fake immigration stickers, which were sold to undocumented migrants for between RM100 and RM120 each, depending on the destination country listed.

"All foreign nationals arrested have been sent to the Putrajaya Immigration Depot for further action under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, and the Immigration Regulations 1963.

"One local man and one woman were issued notices to assist with the investigation," he said.

Later the same day, at 6.42pm, the department mounted a second special operation at two separate locations — in Maluri, Kuala Lumpur, and Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

"Based on public tip-offs and two weeks of intelligence, the operation team was deployed and successfully arrested two local women believed to be the main masterminds, along with one local man.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the women and the man arrested are civil servants, all aged between 40 and 43," he said.

The team also seized 101 passports from various countries — including 74 from Sri Lanka, 13 from Myanmar, six from Vietnam, two each from Indonesia and Ghana, and one each from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Syria. Two mobile phones and a Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) registration certificate were also confiscated.

Additionally, a Toyota Vellfire believed to have been used by the syndicate was impounded.

Zakaria said the group specialised in processing ePLKS applications for foreign nationals without valid permits in the Klang Valley.

"Initial checks showed that the information on the ePLKS documents had been tampered with and did not exist in the Immigration system. Each migrant was charged RM11,000. We believe the syndicate has been operating since late 2024," he said.

All local suspects are being investigated under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966 and have been taken to Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya for further questioning.

Two other locals have been served notices to assist in ongoing investigations. - NST