A Factory Was Found Paying Cash Wages to Undocumented Migrants Using Fake MyKads Belonging to Other People

JOHOR BAHRU: A playing card printing factory in Pasir Gudang has been found employing a group of foreign workers without valid work permits, paying their monthly salaries in cash instead of through bank accounts.

The practice was among the violations uncovered by enforcement officers during Ops Jejak 1.0, conducted by the National Registration Department (NRD) today.

Deputy Director-General of National Registration (Operations), Sarinah Apisah, said 36 individuals were suspected of using other people’s identity cards or forged identification documents to secure employment.

She said 28 of them were women, while the remaining eight were men. The individuals, aged between 16 and 48, were nationals of the Philippines and Indonesia.

“One Filipino man admitted that he had purchased a fake identity card for RM100 from another individual. Another person claimed to have borrowed her sister’s identity card to obtain employment.

“At the same time, we are also investigating a 20-year-old man who only possesses a MyKid identification card, which he has been using as his identity document,” she said at a press conference after leading the operation.

Sarinah added that action against the 36 individuals was being taken under Section 25(1)(c) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 (Amendment 2007).

“During the operation, we inspected 234 individuals, of whom 97 were foreign workers. We will also cooperate with the Labour Department (JTK) to take action against the factory premises.

“In addition, we will investigate the agents responsible for bringing in these foreign workers. Based on our preliminary investigations, we have identified two agents involved, one of whom is believed to have brought in workers using invalid identity cards,” she said.

UTUSAN MALAYSIA