An Immigration officer among 10 detained in Kedah for allegedly running a migrant-smuggling syndicate causing RM4.1 million in revenue leakage.
PETALING JAYA: An Immigration personnel stationed at the Bukit Kayu Hitam border checkpoint was among 10 people detained following the bust of a migrant-smuggling syndicate that allegedly caused RM4.1 million in revenue leakage.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the special operation, dubbed Ops Toyu, was carried out at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Bukit Kayu Hitam starting at 12.50pm yesterday.
The operation was mounted by officers from the Intelligence and Special Operations Division at the Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya, with the cooperation of Kedah Immigration and the Bukit Kayu Hitam Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA).
The ten individuals detained comprise two Malaysian men, one Thai man, five Indian nationals, one Pakistani national and a senior Immigration officer serving at the checkpoint.
The arrests were the result of public tip-offs and a month-long intelligence-gathering exercise.
“Initial checks found that one Indian national detained was a blacklisted immigrant, while the Pakistani national had allegedly used a fake e-visa.
“The other detained foreign nationals were prohibited immigrants,” the Immigration chief said in a statement today.
Investigations revealed that the syndicate allegedly brought foreigners—primarily Indian nationals—into Malaysia through land entry points in a meticulously planned manner.
Syndicate agents reportedly coordinated the timing and entry arrangements, while a “transporter” moved the migrants from Thailand into Malaysia by posing as a taxi driver to avoid detection.
Once at the checkpoint, the complicit Immigration officer allegedly endorsed the foreigners’ passports despite them failing to meet entry requirements.
“The syndicate charged RM1,000 per person, while RM400 was paid by the agent to the officer for every passport endorsed.
“The syndicate is believed to have been operating since early this year, causing an estimated revenue leakage of RM4.1 million,” Zakaria said.
During the operation, the team seized five Indian passports, one Pakistani passport, various Malaysian and Thai border passes and an official Immigration security stamp.
Authorities also confiscated 12 mobile phones and 30,000 Indian rupees in cash.
In addition to the documents and currency, officers seized a Nissan Sentra and two motorcycles—a Honda Wave and a Honda EX5—believed to have been used for smuggling activities.
The two local men and the Thai man were detained under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, while another local man was held under Section 26J of the same Act.
The five Indian nationals were held under Section 8(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the Pakistani national was detained under Section 56(1)(l) of the same Act.
All suspects have been taken to the Kedah Immigration office for further action.
