A cunning attempt by a Sri Lankan syndicate to use the identity of a child to obtain a Malaysian passport was foiled by the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department at UTC Pudu Immigration Office, Kuala Lumpur this morning, foreign media reported.

Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said in the 10.15 am incident, a Sri Lankan man came with a local woman claiming to be his mother to apply for a first-time child passport under the 10-year-old category, Bernama reports.

“Suspicion arose when immigration officers noticed the man’s physical appearance was far older than the age stated on the submitted birth certificate.

“He was also unable to follow simple instructions in basic Malay, including when asked to undergo biometric verification,” he said in a statement today.

Wan Mohammed Saupee said further investigations revealed that the local woman acted under the syndicate’s instructions, which offered a ‘shortcut’ for Sri Lankans to obtain Malaysian passports.

He said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved using the birth certificate of the local woman’s biological child to enable the Sri Lankan national to apply for a Malaysian passport by posing as her son.

Both individuals were detained for further investigation under the Passport Act 1966 (Act 150). Several documents and mobile phones believed to have been used by the syndicate were also seized.

Investigations are underway to trace the syndicate network involved in attempts to unlawfully obtain international travel documents, the report further said.

“Impersonating a Malaysian citizen to obtain a passport is a systematic fraud that threatens national security.

“Citizens whose documents are misused face the risk of identity theft, legal complications, and false criminal records,” he added.
 
Source: BERNAMA

--Agencies