PETALING JAYA: Fifteen Bangladeshi men who attempted to enter the country by posing as members of a cricket team were detained at KLIA on March 17.

In a statement, the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said the men tried to deceive officers by dressing up in cricket uniforms and presenting a tournament invitation letter.

“However, investigations revealed that the letter was forged, and no such tournament scheduled from March 21 to March 23 was set to take place.

“Further raising suspicion, the group had sought sponsorship from a guarantor.

However the ‘guarantor’ admitted to having no information about the cricket tournament, and he was only at the airport as a company representative.”

Authorities suspect they were part of a syndicate attempting to misuse sports visas to enter Malaysia for other purposes.

AKPS said the group will be issued a not-to-land (NTL) order, and further action will be taken in accordance with immigration regulations.

It also warned that strict measures will be enforced against people or syndicates attempting to abuse sports visas for illegal activities, such as unauthorised employment or human trafficking.