Published : 16 Sep 2026, 12:45 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 12:45 PM
Malaysia has detained 27 Bangladeshis, including 11 suspected of running an alleged document forgery operation targeting foreign workers, according to Malaysian media.
The arrests came during simultaneous raids on 11 premises in Kuala Lumpur’s Jalan Chan Sow Lin commercial area on Sept 14, the Malay Mail reports, citing Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The 11 suspected masterminds -- 10 Bangladeshi men and one woman -- were allegedly operating from the premises, according to the report.
Another 19 foreigners were detained for immigration offences, including 16 Bangladeshis, one Myanmar national and two Indonesians.
Malaysian authorities seized 18 laptops, 21 printers and scanners, three mobile phones and 10 Bangladeshi passports during the operation, dubbed “Ops Serkap”.
They also found copies of allegedly forged electronic Temporary Employment Visit Passes (e-PLKS) and fake police reports.
Saifuddin said the fake employment passes were sold for RM150 each and the police reports for RM70.
He said Malaysia’s Immigration Department was stepping up action against syndicates accused of manipulating the foreign-worker system and falsifying documents.
The arrests come as Bangladesh and Malaysia work towards reopening the Malaysian labour market to Bangladeshi workers after recruitment was restricted in 2024 amid reports of irregularities and worker exploitation.
Malaysia recently listed another 312 Bangladeshi firms as “associate recruiting agencies”. It had previously approved 25 recruiting agencies and state-run Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) under its Foreign Workers Centralised Management System.
The recruitment system has faced repeated allegations of syndication and excessive fees.
In July, Bangladesh revoked the licences of 49 recruiting agencies over alleged irregularities in sending workers to Malaysia.
According to Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, agencies under investigation sent 267,276 workers to Malaysia and allegedly collected more than Tk 45.45 billion in excess fees by charging workers as much as five times the government-approved recruitment cost.
