Its director, Khairrul Aminus Kamaruddin, said inspections revealed that three blank passports issued by foreign embassies in Kuala Lumpur were believed to have been used to cover the holders’ previous immigration records.

“Checks found that these foreigners either claimed to have lost their old passports or said they had expired, and subsequently applied for new ones here.

“If they were staying in Malaysia legally, they should have transferred the endorsements from their old passports to the new ones. However, some who renewed their passports as early as 2023 failed to do so,” he said.

Khairrul Aminus, who joined an enforcement operation at Pelangi Damansara, Petaling Jaya, last night, said such attempts violated Section 6(1)(C) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 as the individuals did not possess valid work passes despite holding passports.

He urged overstaying foreigners to surrender voluntarily under the ongoing Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0.

“Through this programme, overstayers can go to any immigration office in Selangor – Shah Alam, Kelana Jaya, Port Klang or Kajang – and return home without being detained,” he said.