A SMUGGLER tried to beat Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers by hiding forged identity documents in his pants and his socks.

But the 'undercover' ploy by the Malaysian Indian man did not fool ICA officers, when they stopped him for a check at about 740am on May 8 at Woodlands Centre Road.

During the check, the ICA officers found 19 photocopies of the bio-data page of China passports hidden at the back of his pants.

They also found several cards, which were believed to be forged, hidden inside the socks worn by the man.

Among the forged cards were three forged Singapore blue ICs, 10 forged Employment Pass cards and five forged Work Permit Cards.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 25-year-old man agreed to be a courier to deliver the forged cards from Johor Bahru to Singapore as he was in financial difficulties.

He was promised RM100 (S$43) if he successfully delivered the forged cards to Singapore.

Under the Immigration Act, an offender convicted of overstaying or illegal entry can be jailed up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.