Immigration Department detains a Vietnamese couple in Ampang for operating as illegal agents charging foreigners up to RM12,000 for pass services.
PUTRAJAYA: A Vietnamese husband and wife suspected of profiting from acting as illegal agents offering immigration-related services to foreigners, charging up to RM12,000 per person, were detained in a special operation in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, on Sept 11.
Immigration Department (JIM) director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the 34-year-old couple was found with a 10-month-old Vietnamese boy believed to be their son.
He said preliminary investigations found that the couple acted as illegal agents offering immigration-related services, particularly to Vietnamese nationals.
“Among the services offered were managing pass extensions, Special Passes and return flight tickets to Vietnam for undocumented migrants at the Immigration Depot.
“The fees charged reached up to RM12,000 per individual, depending on the type of transaction handled. The activity is believed to have been operating since last year,” he said in a statement today.
Zakaria said checks at the premises also found seven Vietnamese passports and five Vietnamese authority stamps suspected to be fake.
Also seized were a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a copy of the residential premises tenancy agreement, several copies of Vietnamese citizen verification forms and Vietnamese passport application forms.
Zakaria said JIM was conducting further investigations into the suspected fake Vietnamese authority stamps, as well as the seized documents and equipment, to identify the modus operandi and possible involvement of other individuals.
He said a Ford Kuga vehicle believed to have been used in the activity was also seized to assist in the investigation.
“Initial checks found that the Vietnamese man had overstayed, while his wife possessed a Foreign Maid Pass. The child found with the couple did not possess any valid pass or travel documents to be in this country,” he said.
Zakaria said the man was detained on suspicion of committing offences under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passports Act 1966 and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while his wife was being investigated under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
He said the case was also being investigated regarding the child’s status under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and all of them were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action.
