SEBERANG JAYA: The Penang Immigration Department crippled a fake immigration e-pass printing syndicate and arrested two Bangladeshi men in Simpang Ampat last night.
State Immigration director Syamsul Fitry Ahmad said the suspects, aged 23 and 32, were detained during a 10pm raid at a rented house following public tip-offs and days of intelligence gathering.
“During the inspection of the premises, we discovered several forged or altered e-pass printouts, including documents bearing the particulars of one of the suspects as well as other foreigners.
“The team also found several foreign passports not belonging to the suspects, alongside a large quantity of altered e-pass printouts believed ready for distribution to buyers,” he told reporters at the Penang Immigration headquarters.
Syamsul Fitry said further checks revealed the forged documents were linked to the construction sector, with the syndicate targeting undocumented or overstaying Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals.
He said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved digitally editing details on e-pass and passport copies using a laptop before printing them to deceive authorities and employers.
He said the syndicate was believed to have only started operating recently, adding that it charged between RM50 and RM100 per fake e-pass.
However, he said payment transaction records suggest higher fees may have been collected from some, given that genuine annual renewals start at RM2,000.
“So far, we have detected over 50 suspected forged documents, though the exact number remains under investigation based on evidence recovered at the scene and inside the suspects’ laptops and mobile phones,” he said.
Enforcement officers also seized mobile phones, laptops and printers used to produce the documents, alongside a car and two motorcycles suspected of being used in the syndicate’s operations.
Syamsul Fitry added that while the 23-year-old suspect held a valid passport and construction sector work pass, his accomplice was undocumented.
Investigations are ongoing to determine if the duo are linked to a wider network, he added.
“Physically, the fake e-passes are difficult to detect as they look nearly identical to genuine ones, but immigration officers can verify them through QR code scans and counter system checks,” he said.
Both suspects have been remanded for 14 days.