15 Bangladeshi men posing as cricketers detained in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of 15 Bangladeshi men were detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for attempting to enter Malaysia by posing as members of a cricket team.

According to the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), the men wore cricket uniforms and presented a letter from the Penang Cricket Association, claiming they were participating in a tournament.

However, investigations revealed that the letter was fake, and no cricket tournament was scheduled to take place from March 21 to March 23, 2025.

AKPS became suspicious when the men attempted to provide a sponsor as a guarantor, who admitted to having no knowledge of the tournament. Further inspections found no evidence to support their claims of being cricketers, leading AKPS to suspect that they were part of a syndicate trying to disguise themselves as athletes to enter Malaysia for other purposes.

As a result, the group was denied entry into Malaysia, and further action will be taken according to immigration regulations.

AKPS has warned that strict action will be taken against individuals or syndicates attempting to misuse sports visas for illegal activities such as human trafficking or unauthorized work.