Suri rumah menyamar pegawai Imigresen ditahan

Melaka Immigration Department has detained a 50-year-old local woman suspected of posing as an immigration officer and orchestrating work permit applications for foreign individuals. Anirwan Fauzee Mohd Aini, the Deputy Inspector-General of Melaka Immigration, announced the arrest during a press conference at the Melaka Immigration Department today.

The woman was apprehended in an operation at a cafe in Taman Malim Jaya around 6 pm yesterday. Apart from the seized items, additional searches were conducted at a condominium in Kota Laksamana and various shops, where stolen property was discovered.

Among the stolen items were a pair of black uniform and accessories, a pair of officer rank insignia, a batch collar of the Immigrations Department, two blue scarves, two black T-shirts with the Immigrations Department logo, and a falsified Immigrations Department identification card. When detained at the cafe, the suspect was seen conversing with a Chinese national, and the victim claims she paid around RM6,000 for the work permit.

So far, three victims have been deceived by the suspect, including two Malaysians. The suspect offered services for work permit applications for foreigners, who needed assistance without a sponsor or foreign involvement. Anirwan Fauzee stated that initial investigations found the suspect had been involved in hiding and scamming activities for one to two years, moving solo and approaching employers or foreigners who urgently needed work permits.

The 50-year-old mother of five also posted pictures of herself fully dressed in the suspect's uniform on social media to convince her employers that she was a member of the department. Anirwan Fauzee said the suspect is being held for four days to aid the investigation under Section 56(1)(k) and Section 56(1)(l) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for making false statements or false documents without lawful authority.

The Immigration Department also issued a fine to the suspect's accomplice and spouse to help with further investigations. The public is advised to remain vigilant and not easily fall for individuals offering unofficial immigration services instead of directly contacting the nearest Immigration Department office.