IMMIGRATION has arrested an Iranian national suspected of running a document forgery ring, following a raid on Wednesday.

Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the 58-year-old suspect, believed to be the mastermind of the ring, was arrested in a raid on business premises on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur.

“Checks found that the man has been living in Malaysia for more than 30 years using a social visit pass and is the husband of a local woman,” he said in a statement today.

He said the man was handing over forged documents to customers outside the premises when the Immigration team conducted the raid, adding that another raid on an apartment in Bandar Baru Ampang uncovered stored false documents.

Eight international passports from various countries, 29 temporary employment visit pass stickers, Immigration Department’s stamps, all believed to be forged, a laptop and a printer, as well 24 international driving licences and RM4,000, were among items seized in the raids, he added.

He said the ring targeted foreigners, especially Iranians, looking for documents to remain in Malaysia.

The syndicate charged RM300 to RM500 for each temporary pass, which had to be deposited online into a third-party account, he said, adding that the ring had been operating for almost two years, using a business selling bed sheets as a front.

He said the suspect was detained under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Passport Act 1966. – Bernama, January 21, 2022.