Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) detained three Indonesian nationals, including a man suspected to be the mastermind of a passport forgery syndicate, during operations at two locations around here last night. Its director-general, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, said that three individuals involved, namely two men and one woman aged between 30 and 50, were detained during operations at 11 pm in Taman Sri Kuching and Taman Bukit Cheras, here.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, preliminary checks found that the 'mastermind' holds a Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS Construction Sector) and that the other foreign nationals have overstayed. Zakaria said the syndicate offered services to foreigners in the Klang Valley who wanted to undergo foreign worker health screenings but did not pass the examination or were deemed unfit.

The syndicate charged RM80 to RM130 for each passport that is forged to be altered or modified for use during the health screening process. "This is the fifth arrest involving a syndicate that uses the same modus operandi, and this syndicate has been operating since the beginning of the year," he said.

Zakaria stated that his team also seized 119 forged passports believed to be from Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, and Nepal, as well as a printer, mobile phones, and cash amounting to RM1,500, believed to be proceeds from the activities involved. He also suspected that the syndicate mastermind is believed to have committed an offence under Section 12(1)(f) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while two other foreign nationals are believed to have committed offences under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

"All the detained foreign nationals were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action," he added.