PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA - For about a year, two Sri Lankans used a condominum flat in Jalan Kuchai Lama to produce MyKad and Malaysian passports of such quality that they could have passed as the real things.

Buyers were charged RM15,000 (S$6,294) for a package, including the MyKad and passport.

But the racket came to light when police and Immigration officers raided the condominium after tip-offs that it was a centre for distribution of drugs by foreigners.

On entering a room, they stumbled upon 20 fake Malaysian passports, seven MyKad, seven Sri Lankan and five Indian passports and a British passport.

Equipment used to produce the documents, such as a laminating machine, laptops, scanners and rubber stamps, were also confiscated.

Immigration enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohamed said a 28-year-old Sri Lankan was arrested.

While the officers were inspecting the flat, a telephone call came in from the Sri Lankan's accomplice who was told by his friend about the raid.

Ishak said the second suspect, also a Sri Lankan, was prepared to offer the officers RM5,700 (S$2,391) to close the case.

"My officers told the suspect's friend to come with the money, which he did.

"The second suspect was apprehended together with the cash."

Checks showed that the second suspect's social visit pass had expired.

The duo led the officers to a used car outlet in Wangsa Maju where another five forged Malaysian passports were seized.

Ishak said the documents were professionally made and looked authentic.

"The MyKad, especially, looks very real. I can say that they looked 99 per cent authentic," he said showing some of the fake identity cards to journalists at his office yesterday.

Ishak believed the syndicate had sold the forged documents to Sri Lankans, especially youths.

"We will intensify operations and do our best to detect those in possession of these fake documents."

He also called on the public to co-operate with the department to bring to book those responsible.

"It looks like Malaysia has been turned into a hub of sorts by these foreigners and syndicate members for their crime activities."

Ishak said Immigration officers recently arrested a Sri Lankan male who was trying to apply for a Malaysian passport using the birth certificate of a Malaysian Indian.

"When I asked him why he did this, he said this was because parents of the youths did not want their children to be forced to join the military in their country.

"They feel that their children would be safer if they were in Malaysia."

Ishak added this, however, would not stop the Immigration from intensifying efforts to track down illegal immigrants in the country, regardless of their nationality.