Stricter measures to curb
fake athletes from
Bangladesh
Immigration DG Zakaria Shaaban says his department will tighten screenings, following several arrests made from 2023 until October last year.
Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said criminal syndicates have been exploiting sports events as a cover to illegally bring Bangladeshi workers into Malaysia.
According to a report by the New Straits Times, he said authorities intercepted 18 purported athletes in October, seizing passports and an “invitation letter” to take part in a sports competition.
They also arrested three suspected members of a syndicate, which charged the Bangladeshi nationals between RM2,000 and RM5,000 each to bring them in.
Two days after the arrests, immigration officials prevented another 20 Bangladeshi nationals from entering through Kuala Lumpur International Airport, issuing immediate deportation orders.
Zakaria said 23 Bangladeshi nationals had also entered Malaysia on Jan 15, 2023 under the guise of athletic participation and attempted to register for the manpower recalibration programme.
However, they were rejected for failing to meet the programme’s requirements.
He said his department will collaborate with other agencies to verify the legitimacy of Bangladeshi sports applications and is gathering intelligence to dismantle the remaining syndicate operations.
“We are also tracking down other Bangladeshis who entered Malaysia using the same method and are believed to have overstayed,” he said.
This crackdown follows a similar incident last September when immigration authorities deported 29 Pakistani nationals who arrived at Langkawi International Airport claiming to take part in a running event.
Their ruse was uncovered when officials found traditional Pakistani clothing but no athletic gear in their luggage.
No comments:
Post a Comment