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ICA Swoops In On Bangladeshi Forger Chief
Forged immigration endorsements and passes are much coveted by immigration offenders and illegal immigrants, as these are tools that can be utilised to fraudulently “legalise” their stay in Singapore, while providing a false front on their travel documents.
2 After an intensive period of investigations, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers mounted an operation, busting a Bangladeshi syndicate providing forged immigration passes and extension endorsements.
3 On the evening of 7 Feb 2007, ICA officers moved in on two Bangladesh nationals at Serangoon Road area. Both of them were not in possession of any travel documents, and were subsequently established as immigration offenders. A Special Pass (SP), believed to be forged, was also found on one of the immigration offenders, ‘A’. The other subject, ’B’, was later established as the syndicate leader.
4 ‘A’ claimed that he had obtained forged immigration extensions on his SP, paying about $50 each time. ‘B’ admitted to being the syndicate leader providing forged SPs and immigration extension endorsements to immigration offenders.
5 ICA officers followed up with a raid of ‘B’’s rented house, located near Race Course Road. A forged immigration extension stamp, a number stamp, an ink pad and a date stamp were retrieved from a plastic bag hidden beneath a cooking stove. His expired Bangladeshi passport was also recovered from his room. The two men, together with the exhibits, were referred to the Singapore Police Force for further investigations.
6 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
7 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA’s online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA’s internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 or contact the Police.
2 After an intensive period of investigations, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers mounted an operation, busting a Bangladeshi syndicate providing forged immigration passes and extension endorsements.
3 On the evening of 7 Feb 2007, ICA officers moved in on two Bangladesh nationals at Serangoon Road area. Both of them were not in possession of any travel documents, and were subsequently established as immigration offenders. A Special Pass (SP), believed to be forged, was also found on one of the immigration offenders, ‘A’. The other subject, ’B’, was later established as the syndicate leader.
4 ‘A’ claimed that he had obtained forged immigration extensions on his SP, paying about $50 each time. ‘B’ admitted to being the syndicate leader providing forged SPs and immigration extension endorsements to immigration offenders.
5 ICA officers followed up with a raid of ‘B’’s rented house, located near Race Course Road. A forged immigration extension stamp, a number stamp, an ink pad and a date stamp were retrieved from a plastic bag hidden beneath a cooking stove. His expired Bangladeshi passport was also recovered from his room. The two men, together with the exhibits, were referred to the Singapore Police Force for further investigations.
6 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
7 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA’s online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA’s internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 or contact the Police.