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THREE people have been arrested for allegedly operating an immigration stamp forgery syndicate targeting foreigners without valid passes or those who had overstayed in Malaysia.
The suspects, comprising a local man and two Thai women aged between 40 and 45, were detained during an Immigration Department operation on Nov 3 at two locations in Kajang and Pandan Perdana in Selangor.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation, conducted at about 11am, followed a month-long intelligence operation.
He said enforcement officers seized several items believed to have been used in the forgery operation, including three security stamps, two rubber stamp plates, two date stamps and five ink pads.
Six Thai passports, a Thai border pass, five mobile phones and two notebooks were also seized.
Investigations found that the syndicate allegedly used counterfeit security endorsement stamps designed to resemble those issued at the Sultan Iskandar Building entry point to deceive the authorities.
"The syndicate is believed to have targeted foreigners without valid passes or those who had overstayed in the country, particularly Thai nationals.
"Its services were advertised through WhatsApp, with charges ranging from RM70 to RM100 for each counterfeit stamp placed in customers' passports," he said in a statement.
The syndicate was believed to have generated profits of up to RM15,000 a month.
The local suspect is being investigated under Section 56(1A)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the two Thai women are being investigated under Section 56(1)(l) of the same Act. - November 6, 2026
