Putrajaya:Twenty individuals aged between 23 and 47 were detained by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) during a special operation in Taman Datuk Ahmad Razali. They are suspected of involvement in a syndicate abusing foreign worker quotas.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the operation commenced at 730 am and was led by the Intelligence and Special Operations Division at the Immigration Headquarters in Putrajaya. It was conducted in collaboration with the Strategic Compliance Branch and the Intelligence and Profiling Department of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB). The action followed information from the public and intelligence gathered by JIM.

Among those detained were two Bangladeshi men, believed to be the business owner and manager, six local female employees, and 12 foreign customers, including nine Bangladeshi men and three Indonesian women. The authorities also seized a total of 341 passports from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India, along with RM6,700 in cash, suspected to be from customer payments.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate allegedly used an 'A-to-B' employer arrangement. This involved a company (Employer A) obtaining foreign worker quotas and using Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) to bring in workers, who were subsequently supplied to another company (Employer B) for profit, rather than working for the original employer.

The syndicate is also suspected of providing false company profiles to obtain foreign worker quotas. Further checks indicated that the foreign workers did not work for the companies that had applied for the quotas but worked independently elsewhere. The activity is believed to generate profits between RM3,800 and RM5,000 per worker. Additionally, the companies involved allegedly declared profits significantly lower than their actual financial records and failed to report personal income from 2020 to 2023 to avoid tax payments.

The business owner, manager, and a local employee are being held on suspicion of offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Passport Act 1966. The foreign customers face suspected offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963. The business owner is also under investigation by the IRB for alleged failure to report income accurately, under the Income Tax Act 1967.

Zakaria Shaaban, the Immigration Director-General, emphasized JIM's commitment to taking firm action against illegal activities, targeting those who plan, manage, and profit from the abuse of foreign worker quotas.