Living 11 Years In Riau, Bangladeshi Residents Try To Make Indonesian Passports Using Fake Identity

A Bangladeshi citizen applies for an Indonesian passport using a false identity. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Immigration Office (Kanim) Class II TPI Dumai arrested a foreign citizen (WN) with the initials MFA, a Bangladeshi national, using a false identity when applying for a Republic of Indonesia passport on Tuesday, August 2.

"Currently MFA is being placed in the Immigration Detention Room Kanim Class II Dumai to take further examination, and be processed to the court stage or prosecuting," said Head of the Riau Ministry of Law and Human Rights Mhd Jahari Sitepu in a statement, Thursday, August 4.

"Continue to guard the legal process until it is complete, do not allow smugglers in our beloved country," he continued.

Mhd Jahari Sitepu appreciated the performance of the Dumai Kanim ranks in carrying out their duties and functions as the front guard in guarding the gates of the Republic of Indonesia.

On that occasion, Jahari asked other Immigration officials to also increase their vigilance on passport applications.

"The increasing number of passport applications after the loosening of the COVID-19 regulations should not make us careless in conducting inspections. Don't be fooled," Jahari said, according to Antara.

He explained that initially MFA when applying for an Indonesian passport at Kanim Dumai had fulfilled all the administrative requirements in accordance with the provisions, and the results of the filing did not show anything suspicious.

"The passport applicant has an ID card, family card (KK), and a marriage certificate, according to the specified requirements. However, suspicions arose when a team of officers conducted interviews and photos," said Jahari.

Ginting said the Immigration officer is the gatekeeper of the state, because it is the first and last institution that screens the arrival and departure of foreigners from the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

Therefore, every officer has been trained to sharpen his intuition and act quickly and precisely, especially when conducting an examination.

Departing from suspicions about the interview session that had been carried out, the MFA, who claimed to live in Binjai, North Sumatra, was taken to the Immigration Intelligence and Enforcement Section (Inteldakim) for further examination.

Through the results of a follow-up examination, the person concerned finally admitted that he was a Bangladeshi national who had lived for 11 years in Dumai.