KUCHING: Fifteen Bangladeshi men without valid documentation were detained at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) today.
Acting on intelligence and surveillance, the Sarawak Immigration Department’s Security Monitoring and Enforcement Unit (UPKP) detained the men upon their arrival from Kuala Lumpur at 12.50 pm.
“Initial checks found that none of the individuals had valid entry records in the Immigration Department’s system,” the department said in a statement.
It said further inspection of their passports revealed suspected forged immigration stamps, believed to have been used to deceive the authorities.
“It was also found that each man is believed to have paid between RM18,000 and RM20,000 to syndicate agents to gain entry into the country,” it said.
Meanwhile, all detainees are currently held at the Semuja Immigration Detention Depot for further investigation under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
