The syndicate was crippled in a raid in Senai here last Saturday.

Johor immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said the techniques used by the syndicate showed that they were skilled in the use of information technology equipment and system.

He said the syndicate was believed to have cashed in on the demand for foreign labourers in various sectors such as construction.

Baharuddin said preliminary investigations showed that the syndicate head was an Indonesian man who had been working in Malaysia for seven years using a valid work permit.

The syndicate was also believed to be charging between RM120 and RM250 for each falsified document, with their target market being Indonesian passport holders.

“We also seized 23 Covid-19 examination certificates from a private hospital and 18 Malaysian immigration cards suspected to be fake. We believe there may be more documents that could have been forged.

Three other Indonesians, including the ring-leader’s wife and a customer were also detained. All four suspects were remanded for 14 days.

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