JOHOR BAHRU: The Immigration Department (JIM) busted a ‘flying passport’ syndicate with the arrest of its two masterminds, a Pakistani and an Indian, during Ops Serkap at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) here on Sunday (March 24).
Johor JIM director Baharuddin Tahir (pix) said the men, aged 30 and 35, were in a Toyota Altis vehicle when they were arrested near the building at 6 pm following intelligence carried out and information from the public.
He said the syndicate falsified social visit pass stamps and work permit extensions and charged fees ranging from RM650 to RM3,000.
“The syndicate’s main target is foreigners, with the majority being those from Pakistan and India who faced problems extending their work permits and social visit passes,” he told a media conference here today, adding that the syndicate is believed to have been active since 2022.
He said the department also seized five Indian passports, four Pakistani passports, RM3,455 in cash, four handphones and various foreign currency totalling RM474 during the operation.
Baharuddin said the Pakistani man, who did not have a valid travel document, is being investigated under Section 56(1) (l) and Section 56(1A) (a) of the Immigration Act and Section 12(1) (f) of the Passports Act 1966 (Act 150) and the Indian man under Sections 56 (1A) (b) and 6(1) (c) of the Immigration Act.
Meanwhile, regarding the Migrant Repatriation Programme, Baharuddin said 1,321 immigrants have registered themselves, with Indonesian citizens recording the highest number with 987 people, followed by India (100), Bangladesh (97), Pakistan (95) and others, including from Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.
He said they have also collected compounds totalling RM660,500, with 1,030 illegal immigrants repatriated so far through the Stulang Laut and Pasir Gudang ferry terminals and the Senai International Airport.
The programme is a government initiative that does not involve a third party to allow undocumented foreigners to return to their home countries for offences like entering Malaysia without proper documents, violating terms and overstaying. -Bernama
