PUTRAJAYA, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- An illegal money transfer syndicate using the 'Hundi' system and targeting Bangladeshi nationals in the Klang Valley was uncovered after the Immigration Department raided three premises in Chow Kit yesterday, where the activities were being conducted under the guise of retail and wholesale businesses.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the special operation, which began at 2.37 pm, led to the arrest of eight Bangladeshi men aged between 24 and 42 following a month of intelligence gathering.
He said the syndicate was believed to have used retail and wholesale business premises as a front to evade detection by the authorities.
“The syndicate is believed to have targeted Bangladeshi nationals in the Klang Valley by using e-wallet accounts and local bank accounts registered under the names of foreign agents to conduct financial transactions.
“For customers without access to digital accounts, money was received and sent in cash,” he said in a statement here today.
Zakaria said investigations also found that the syndicate’s agents operated according to Bangladesh’s banking hours, from Sunday to Thursday, between noon and 8 pm local time.
“Further checks found that transactions recorded in the e-wallet accounts from January to October 2026 amounted to more than RM180,000,” he said.
Zakaria said enforcement officers also seized RM24,720 in cash believed to be proceeds from the activities, as well as five Bangladeshi passports, five mobile phones, a laptop, closed-circuit television (CCTV) equipment, QR codes and several business documents.
He said the seized documents included copies of documents from the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) licences, shop stamps and premises keys.
Zakaria said preliminary checks found that two of the eight Bangladeshi nationals detained had overstayed in the country, while the other six were believed to have misused their respective immigration passes.
All eight were detained on suspicion of committing offences under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 before being taken to the Immigration Office for further investigation.
He said two other Bangladeshi men, as well as a local man and a local woman, were also issued notices to appear at the Immigration office to assist in the investigation.
The operation was carried out by the Intelligence and Special Operations Division of the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya, in collaboration with the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC).
-- BERNAMA