A cunning attempt by a Sri Lankan syndicate to use the identity of a child to obtain a Malaysian passport was foiled by the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department at UTC Pudu Immigration Office, Kuala Lumpur this morning, foreign media reported. Wan Mohammed Saupee said further investigations revealed that the local woman acted under the syndicate’s instructions, which offered a ‘shortcut’ for Sri Lankans to obtain Malaysian passports. He said the syndicate’s modus operandi involved using the birth certificate of the local woman’s biological child to enable the Sri Lankan national to apply for a Malaysian passport by posing as her son. Investigations are underway to trace the syndicate network involved in attempts to unlawfully obtain international travel documents, the report further said. “Impersonating a Malaysian citizen to obtain a passport is a systematic fraud that threatens national security.