Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said authorities detained one man and two women in an operation in Putrajaya yesterday, and seized three Chinese passports bearing suspected forged Malaysia My Second Home social visit pass stickers.

He said the passes were believed to have been supplied by a syndicate.

“The fake passes were sold for up to RM10,000 each. These passes are believed to have been used to deceive embassy authorities and facilitate the visa application screening process,” Zakaria said in a statement.

He said the arrests followed an earlier bust of the same syndicate in October last year, which involved six Chinese nationals and two local men suspected to be agents.

Zakaria said the immigration department also recently detained another 11 Chinese nationals in operations in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur for abusing social visit passes and employment passes.

He said a raid in Dengkil led to the arrest of five people suspected of operating a restaurant without valid permits, while six women were detained in Kepong for working as masseuses.

“They are also suspected of offering immoral services for between RM100 and RM300 per session,” he said.

Zakaria said a local man was detained for allegedly acting as the employer and caretaker of the masseuses’ premises.

All the suspects are currently being held at the Putrajaya immigration depot for further investigation.