Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) dismantled a document forgery syndicate through a special operation yesterday in the capital, leading to the arrest of two Bangladeshi men who are believed to be the mastermind and syndicate member.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the department's director-general, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, stated that the operation was a follow-up to the arrest of three Indonesian men on August 5, related to passport forgery and related activities. The investigation revealed that the main mastermind held a Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS Construction Sector), while the syndicate member had overstayed.

The operation led to the seizure of 2,110 unissued passports, three mobile phones, fake entry security stamps, and a printer. Additionally, RM200,000 was found in savings in an e-wallet application, suspected to be the proceeds from the illegal activities.

The syndicate's modus operandi involved offering services to foreign nationals in the Klang Valley who failed the foreign worker health screening (Fomena) or were deemed unfit. Fake passports were altered or modified for use during the health screening process, with continued intelligence activities aimed at identifying similar syndicates.

Zakaria explained that the syndicate also forged passports or provided false endorsements to show legitimate entry and exit records, deceiving enforcement agencies if detained. Fees for each passport ranged between RM200 and RM300, and the syndicate rented a condominium for RM1,600 as their base of operations.

The mastermind was detained under Section 55D and Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the syndicate members were detained under Section 15(1)(c) of the same act.