KUALA LUMPUR: A 37-year-old Pakistani man, believed to be the brains behind an Immigration documents forgery syndicate, was detained following a raid at a luxury condominium in Setapak here.

       Immigration department director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said checks at the unit also revealed a room used as a lab to produce various forged documents during the operation on Nov 12.

       "Among the items seized were a computer, a card printing machine, stickers for work permits for foreign workers (PLKS), Malaysian driving licences, visas of foreign countries and RM13,710 cash.

       "We believe the documents were prepared for customers of the syndicate," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 16).

       Further investigations led investigators to another condominium in Jalan Genting Klang, he added.

       "We seized several forged documents from the premises as well," he said.

       Initial investigations revealed that the suspect used the PLKS of a cleaning company to move freely, Khairul Dzaimee said.

       "We also believe he rented several luxury condominium units to evade the authorities," he added.

       The syndicate has been operating for about a year, he said.

       "They charge between RM300 and RM500 for each forged PLKS sticker, depending on the quality.

       "For driving licence, they charge RM50 for each forged document," he said.