PUTRAJAYA: 27 Bangladeshi men, along with one local woman, representing employers of a local company, were detained by the Federal Territory Immigration Department (JIM WPKL), yesterday.
Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said all of them were apprehended during the fingerprint verification process for registration in the Reemployment of Workforce Recalibration Programme 2.0 (RTK 2.0) at the RTK 2.0 Office, Home Ministry Complex, Jalan Duta, around 11am.
He said the Bangladeshi nationals were detained on suspicion of tampering with information on their passports.
He mentioned that the examination using the MyIMMS Department System by officers revealed alterations to the details of the old passport numbers and personal information on the biodata page of all the Bangladeshi nationals in question.
He said the 39-year-old local woman was detained and reasonably believed to have committed an offence under Section 56(1A)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
"All the Bangladeshi nationals, aged between 24 and 46, who were detained, are believed to have committed an offence under Section 56(1)(l) of the same act, which involves the use or possession without lawful authority of amended or forged travel documents," he said in a statement.
All the detained undocumented Bangladeshi nationals, categorised as illegal immigrants, were taken to the JIM WPKL Research and Operations Unit, Enforcement Division, for examination and placed at the Immigration Depot in Bukit Jalil for further investigation and action.
Meanwhile, the local woman was handed over to the Investigation Unit.
Ruslin urged all employers who have registered undocumented immigrants for the RTK 2.0 program to immediately visit the RTK 2.0 office to complete the verification process.
He said that this would enable the issuance of temporary work permits to be expedited, avoiding delays and congestion.
"Employers who employ undocumented immigrants or any party protecting them or attempting to commit any offence under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and any other regulations or laws," he said.
The public with any information about undocumented immigrants in the vicinity of the capital can lodge complaints with the JIM WPKL Complaints Unit, Enforcement Division, by visiting the office, sending an email to adua_penguatkuasajimwpkl@imi.gov.my, or calling 03-6205 7515.