Immigration Department busted ‘flying passport’ syndicate
JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Immigration Department has smashed a “flying passport” syndicate following the arrest of a man at a hotel.
Johor Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said the 41-year-old suspect was arrested at 11pm during the “Ops Serkap” after two weeks of intelligence gathering by the department.
“The man is suspected to be the mastermind of the syndicate. He is believed to have charged a fee of RM300 to RM700 per transaction for arranging for the illegal extension of social visit passes,” he said in a statement.
Baharuddin said 70 international passports — 57 Vietnam, 10 China and three Indonesia — were seized in the raid by 10 immigration officers.
He said the man was being investigated under Section 12 (1) (f) of the Passport Act 1966 (Act 150).
“The Malaysian Immigration Department views this matter seriously as it can undermine the sovereignty and security of the country,” he said.
Bernama
