Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) has busted an illegal foreign worker agency, detaining six foreign nationals in special operations at three locations – Taman Kemuning Utama in Shah Alam, Taman Pandan Cahaya, and Jalan Datuk Eusoff in Kuala Lumpur. Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban announced the arrests, which included five Bangladeshis and one Pakistani, aged between 30 and 50.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the operation was based on public information and intelligence collected over three weeks, leading the team to investigate 17 individuals present at the locations. One of the detained Bangladeshi nationals is believed to be the employer of all the foreign workers involved.
Zakaria detailed the findings, stating that initial checks revealed one Bangladeshi man with a valid pass, another who had overstayed, and one Bangladeshi and the Pakistani national who had violated their pass conditions. Furthermore, two Bangladeshi men were found without travel documents or valid permits to remain in the country.
The operation led to the confiscation of 394 Bangladeshi passports, six Indonesian passports, two Indian passports, nine Pakistani passports, one Filipino passport, three mobile phones, company stamps, and cash totaling RM12,550. A Honda Insight Hybrid car was also seized for investigation. The company in question is suspected to have been operating for a year.
Zakaria explained that the company’s modus operandi involved supplying foreign workers approved under the foreign worker quota system through calling visas and previous recalibration programmes. The company charged RM8,000 per worker to supply foreign workers to employers blacklisted from applying for foreign worker quotas.
Additionally, the company offered Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS) extension services, with fees ranging from RM4,000 to RM6,000 per worker annually. All detainees were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further investigation under various acts, including the Immigration Act 1959/63, Immigration Regulations 1963, Passport Act 1966, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.