Semporna IC syndicate may be tip of iceberg — Jeffrey

Keningau MP Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan suspects the identity card (IC) syndicate uncovered with arrest of three people in Tawau a few days ago is just the tip of the iceberg.

The STAR Sabah chief, while lauding the good work of the police, is concerned that there might be many other such secret IC operations all over the state.

“Knowing the lucrative income from this criminal activity with the huge market of illegal immigrants who are eager to have ICs, it’s not impossible that many groups are operating secretly in major towns and cities in Sabah,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“This assumption is valid based on the number of arrests for similar offences in the past. This is even more saddening because of the involvement of government officers working in the National Registration Department (NRD).

Jeffrey, who is also the assemblyman for Tambunan, feels that the police needs to be more alerts, with active underground intelligence to weed out IC-related crimes.

“The case in Tawau surfaced only because of a report by one IC fraud victim. While the achievement of the investigation is commendable, it would be even more encouraging to hear news of arrests resulting from unending intelligence work.

“The government, especially those tasked with security matters, should leave no stone unturned to fully investigate NRD personnel and the related departments to ensure that this mess is resolved once and for all.

“The locals are very concerned about this syndicate arrest in Semporna which can mean such syndicate also exists throughout the State.

“As a citizen and the people’s representative, I would like to know if, following the Tawau arrests, there is a decision to make an intense and drastic change in the modus operandi in rooting out this crime,” he said.