Eight arrested for operating illegal agency offering immigration services online

PUTRAJAYA: Eight individuals were arrested by the Immigration Department for operating an agency syndicate offering immigration services through social media.

AI Brief

Eight individuals were arrested for operating an illegal immigration services syndicate through social media.
The syndicate charged between RM1,200 and RM15,000 for services to extend the stay of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Thai nationals in Malaysia.
Preliminary investigations revealed that all the foreigners did not have legal travel documents to be in the country.

Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said four locals, two of whom were believed to be the masterminds of the scheme, two Chinese nationals believed to be syndicate members, another Chinese national believed to be their client, and a Philippine working as a domestic worker for one of the masterminds, aged 33 to 53, were arrested in a special operation on Aug 15.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that all the foreigners did not have legal travel documents to be in the country," he said at a media conference here today.

The department also seized 100 China passports, two Taiwan passports, three Thai passports and one Dominica passport and Vanuatu passport each during the raids, along with Immigration Visitation Pass application forms, RM57,260 and 29,660 Thai bhat as well as five vehicles.

Ruslin said the syndicate was offering its services to Chinese, Taiwanese and Thai nationals who wanted to stay longer in the country using social media, charging between RM1,200 and RM15,000 depending on the service.

The four locals and two China nationals are being investigated under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966 while the other China national and Philippine national are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

In a separate development, Ruslin said the department would conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation into a public complaint that went viral recently about a department staff who was rude to two women, believed to be Indian nationals, at a counter of the Putrajaya Immigration Department.

"We will obtain statements from the officer involved, other officers and those who were in the area during the incident. This is to ensure fairness to all parties," he said, adding that the department took every complaint seriously.

Ruslin shared that all counter staff must adhere to the standard operating procedures when dealing with clients.

"Every Immigration officer is trained before entering the service and has to undergo a four-month course before being assigned in the department. They also need to attend other courses while on duty," he added.

-- BERNAMA