Expatriate Mastermind Arrested as Malaysia Busts RM100 Million Human Trafficking Syndicate

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s Immigration Department has dismantled a major human trafficking and document forgery syndicate following a special two-day operation earlier this week.

The operation, carried out on Monday and Tuesday after six months of intelligence gathering, targeted six locations across the capital. Authorities believe the syndicate had been active since 2019, generating profits exceeding RM100 million.

Immigration Director-General Zakaria Shaaban said the raids led to the seizure of a large number of altered immigration documents, including e-passes, security stickers, and related slips used for forgery.

Officials also confiscated 111 passports from multiple countries, 10 laptops, six mobile phones, and RM3,950 in cash.

Nine individuals aged between 26 and 61 were arrested. They include nationals from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, a local Malaysian man, and a Vietnamese woman who holds permanent resident status.

The operation was conducted in collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police and the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia to further investigate potential wider networks and financial flows linked to the syndicate.

Authorities believe the Malaysian man and the Vietnamese woman acted as company owners and directors involved in the illegal activities.

In a significant breakthrough, enforcement officers also arrested the alleged mastermind, identified as Mahendra Jung Shah, also known as “MJ,” during a separate raid along Jalan Galloway in Kuala Lumpur.

He was apprehended after officers intercepted a Nissan Sentra he was traveling in, reportedly while attempting to flee. Investigators revealed that the 43-year-old Nepalese national had previously been detained by the Counter Terrorism Division (E8) of Bukit Aman in 2016.

Despite holding a valid expatriate pass, Shah is believed to be the key coordinator of the syndicate and has a prior record.

Preliminary investigations indicate the group’s modus operandi involved smuggling foreign workers into Malaysia illegally before providing them with forged immigration documents to enable employment. Each worker was reportedly charged between RM5,000 and RM6,000.

The case is being investigated under immigration laws as well as the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA).

Authorities have not ruled out further arrests as investigations continue.