PUTRAJAYA, April 15 — The Immigration Department busted a document forgery syndicate involving foreign workers with the arrest of nine people during a special operation known as “Ops Serkap” on April 13 and 14.Its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation involved raids on six separate locations following six months of continuous intelligence gathering.The syndicate is believed to have raked in RM100 million since it began operations in 2019, he told a press conference here today.“The operation team discovered several immigration documents, including e-passes and security stickers, that had been altered for use by companies to deceive the authorities.“Among the items seized were 111 passports of various nationalities, 10 laptops, six mobile phones and RM3,950 in cash,” he said.The nine arrested, aged between 26 and 61, comprise three Nepalese men, three Indian men, one Bangladeshi man, one Malaysian man and a Vietnamese woman with permanent resident status.Zakaria said that based on information obtained, a special team was deployed yesterday at about 12.30am to a location believed to be linked to the main suspect at Jalan Galloway in Kuala Lumpur.“The operation team intercepted a Nissan Sentra carrying the main suspect, who was believed to be attempting to flee, and detained him. The man is a 43-year-old Nepalese national with prior records.“He holds a valid expatriate pass and is legally in the country. Our information indicates that each documentation process was charged between RM5,000 and RM6,000,” he said.Checks with the Companies Commission of Malaysia and the Inland Revenue Board are ongoing to determine the company structure and estimated profits.The case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Immigration Regulations 1963, Passport Act 1966 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA), as well as other relevant laws.Zakaria said the department is working closely with police to complete the investigation and ensure firm action is taken against all those involved. — Bernama