Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said the operation was conducted last Thursday in Cheras, Mid Valley City, Desa Pandan, Taman Midah and Sungai Besi in Kuala Lumpur, Sepang in Selangor, and Bandar Enstek in Negeri Sembilan.
“The operation led to the arrest of eight individuals, including four Malaysian men, two of whom are the syndicate’s masterminds.
“Also detained were two female Chinese nationals suspected of being syndicate members, one male Chinese national believed to be a customer of the syndicate, and one Filipino woman who served as a domestic worker for one of the masterminds,” he said in a statement.
He added that the arrested individuals were aged between 33 and 53 years.
“Preliminary checks revealed that all the foreign nationals detained did not have valid travel documents or permits to be in the country,” he said.
The department also seized 107 international passports, including 100 Chinese passports, two Taiwanese passports, three Thai passports, one Vanuatu passport, and one Dominican Republic passport.
It also confiscated copies of immigration department special pass application forms, RM57,260 and 29,660 Thai baht in cash. Five vehicles were also seized, including two BMWs, a Volkswagen, a Perodua Myvi, and a Suzuki Swift.
Ruslin said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved offering immigration services, primarily targeting Chinese nationals seeking long-term and short-term social visit passes to extend their stay in the country.
“The syndicate used WeChat and other social media platforms to promote their services. The fees charged ranged from RM1,200 for a special pass to as much as RM15,000 for a long-term social visit pass.
“These services and document deliveries were conducted via courier or in person. The syndicate is believed to have been operating for a month,” he said.
He added that the four Malaysians and two Chinese women were detained under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966, while the Chinese man and Filipino woman under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.