PUTRAJAYA: Two men, including an enforcement officer attached to a Malaysian High Commission abroad, have been arrested for allegedly accepting money to approve visa applications by Bangladeshi nationals to enter Malaysia under the pretext of tourism.

The officer is believed to be in cohort with employment agencies in Bangladesh and Malaysia since 2021, and had abused the Foreign Visa System (VLN) to bring Bangladesh citizens here for work.

Sources with knowledge of the case said those involved were believed to have accepted payment between US$300 and US$500 (RM1,365-RM2,275) for each VLN application approval.

“Investigators believe the amount of bribery involved exceeds RM100mil although the actual payment for the visa set by the government is only RM105 (per visa),” said a source.

The other individual nabbed is believed to be a managing director of a company supplying foreign workers, working hand and glove with the enforcement officer.

The two men, who are in their 30s, were arrested when they were summoned to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters around 6.30pm on Thursday (July 27).

Sources said this is the third officer from the same agency arrested to assist in a special operations codename Ops Taka launched in April by the anti money-laundering division of the MACC and the Immigration Department.

In April, the MACC nabbed two officers from the agency stationed at the Malaysian High Commission in Bangladesh.

Investigators froze and seized 20 bank accounts and properties valued more than RM3mil.