15 Bangladeshis posing as cricketers denied entry to Malaysia

Authorities found that the tournament they were supposedly there to compete in did not exist

Malaysian authorities detain a group of Bangladeshis claiming to be a cricket team at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after discovering that the tournament they were supposedly attending did not exist. Photo: Malaysian Border Control and Protection

A group of Bangladeshis claiming to be a cricket team has been denied entry into Malaysia after authorities discovered that the tournament they were supposedly there to attend did not exist.

The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said that the 15 men were barred from entering the country at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Mar 17, local media report.

The group claimed to be a cricket team travelling to participate in a competition. However, further investigation revealed that the letter they presented, allegedly from the "Penang Cricket Association", was fake, according to Malaysian news outlet The Star.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the AKPS said there were no scheduled cricket matches from Mar 21 to 23, as the group had claimed.

The agency added that the purported sponsor for the event was summoned as a guarantor, but when they arrived, they could not provide any details about the competition and claimed they were only representing the "sponsor company".

"It is possible that the group is part of a syndicate and was issued a 'Not To Land' order," the AKPS said.

The agency warned that strict action would be taken against any individuals or syndicates misusing sports visas for illegal employment or human trafficking.