Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said raids at two residential premises in Selayang and Desa Petaling, Selangor, uncovered the syndicate’s operations.

“An initial investigation found that the syndicate altered genuine documents issued by the department, such as the ePASS, and used fake stickers to mislead authorities,” he said in a statement.

Zakaria said the syndicate also prepared documents such as marriage registration papers and medical reports to support applications with the department and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.

“The syndicate is believed to have operated in an organised manner for nearly two years to facilitate the illegal entry and stay of foreign nationals in the country,” he said.

He said the items seized included 11 passports of various countries, 15 i-Cards, five digital devices, five mobile phones and a printer.

Three Sri Lankan nationals aged between 35 and 45, including a woman, were detained to assist in the investigation.

The suspects are being detained at an immigration depot for further investigation under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.