Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said the special investigation team, led by the department’s deputy director-general, was formed last Friday, Sinar Harian reported.
He said the investigation aims to identify the true cause of the incident, including what offence the woman committed and whether the immigration officers at the entry point followed established processes and regulations.
“We will examine all aspects to ensure the investigation provides justice to all parties.
“The immigration department welcomes foreign visitors to Malaysia, but those entering the country must adhere to the regulations set by the government,” he said during a press conference on the success of dismantling a document forgery gang, held at the department’s headquarters in Putrajaya today.
Ruslin said for the time being, the department was not apportioning any blame to either party and promised to resolve the case soon.
“This matter will be resolved as soon as possible. I do not want this one incident to tarnish the country’s image,” he said.
According to reports in Singapore media on Sunday, a woman, identified as Atalia Chua, 36, claimed she visited Malaysia at 8.40am on Aug 7.
Chua said she was detained by the immigration department for seven days following an altercation with an officer at the BSI CIQ complex. She was only released on Aug 13.
On the document forgery ring, Ruslin said it was operated by Pakistani nationals and had been active in the Klang Valley since the beginning of the year, Bernama reported.
Ruslin said following the arrest of a Pakistani man and an Indian woman in Subang Jaya, authorities detained another Pakistani man identified as Azhar, the suspected ringleader, on Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur, last week.
The investigation led the team to a place on Jalan Desa Bakti, Sungai Besi, where they seized 50 counterfeit temporary employment visit passes (PLKS), 28 fake immigration stamps for entry and exit, 16 passports and equipment officers believe were used to make forgeries.
“All three, aged 44 to 50, have been detained for 14 days starting Sept 6 at the Bukit Jalil immigration detention centre,” he said.
Ruslin said the case is being investigated under Sections 55D and 56 (1) (I) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, Section 12 (1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966 and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
He said the ring would offer document preparation services to foreigners through social media platforms, charging RM100 for immigration stamps, RM150 to RM300 for PLKS stickers, and RM800 to RM1,000 for special passes.