The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) has arrested a Myanmar national (50) and a Bangladeshi national (52) suspected of being the mastermind of a foreign labor syndicate in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian Immigration Department Director-General Ruslin Jusoh in a media statement received in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday said the arrest was made through a special operation on Wednesday (27/3) at around 1.30pm local time conducted by a team of officers and members of various ranks of the Intelligence and Special Operations Division of Immigration Headquarters Putrajaya.
Based on complaints and intelligence gathered over two weeks, he said the team was deployed after successfully tracking and tailing the suspect when he met another suspect around Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur.
From the initial investigation, he said the suspect is a Myanmar citizen with Permanent Resident (PR) status, while the other suspect is a Bangladeshi citizen who has a valid Temporary Work Visit Permit (PLKS) for Services.
He said both were married to Malaysian citizens.
The JIM operation team confiscated 91,550 Malaysian ringgit (RM) or around Rp293.87 million in cash, 12 Bangladeshi passports and one Indonesian passport, company documents, application documents for the Labor Recalibration Program (RTK) and three mobile phones.
The syndicate’s modus operandi, according to Ruslin, is to operate as a foreign employment agency for the RTK 2.0 program by targeting citizens of source countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia. The syndicate offers services such as RTK 2.0 program application registration at the Immigration Office and is believed to have been operating for one year.
The fee charged for each foreign worker is between RM1,500 (about Rp4.8 million) to RM2,000 (about Rp6.4 million).
He said the two suspects were arrested on suspicion of offenses under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966 and Immigration Rules 1963. They are currently detained at the Putrajaya Immigration Depot for further action.
A total of two male and one female Malaysian nationals were issued Notices to appear at the office to assist with the investigation.
JIM, he said, will continue to take stern action against any party found to have committed offenses under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966, Immigration Rules 1963 and the Anti Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act 2007 (ATIPSOM).