KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — 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 the UTC Pudu Immigration Office this morning.
Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said that in the 10.15am 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.
“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.
Saupee added that further investigations revealed the local woman acted under the syndicate’s instructions, which offered a ‘shortcut’ for Sri Lankans to obtain Malaysian passports.
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. 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 obtain international travel documents unlawfully.
“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 said.
