KUALA LUMPUR: Eight locals, including an Immigration Department officer, have been arrested in an operation to dismantle a syndicate involved in illegally obtaining Malaysian passports. Those arrested included an Immigration officer suspected of facilitating the syndicate’s activities, a Malaysian believed to be a syndicate member, as well as four men and two women aged between 32 and 61. “During the raids, several items were seized, including four birth certificates, one Malaysian passport, eight mobile phones and 13 copies of Malaysian passport application forms,” Zakaria said in a statement on Thursday. Zakaria said the syndicate, believed to have been active since January last year, allegedly received between RM5,000 and RM7,000 for each passport successfully obtained. “All those arrested are being investigated under the Passport Act 1966 and have been taken to Immigration offices for further action.

Source: The Star January 15, 2026 14:04 UTC