Yesterday evening, the Immigration authorities at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) apprehended a Sri Lankan national who was attempting to travel to Canada using a counterfeit Canadian travel document. The male passenger, who was scheduled to board a SriLankan Airlines flight UL217 to Doha, was arrested at the emigration counter in the BIA departure terminal. The officials became suspicious of his Canadian passport, prompting them to refer him to the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s Border Surveillance Unit (BSU) at the BIA. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the Canadian passport was indeed forged. During a search of his belongings, the officials also discovered his genuine Sri Lankan passport. The 25-year-old suspect, a resident of Point Pedro in Jaffna, allegedly obtained the counterfeit passport from an individual near 18 Mile Post on the Katunayake – Colombo main road prior to his arrival at the airport. According to the suspect, his uncle in Switzerland had arranged for the forged Canadian passport to be obtained for a sum of Rs.4 million. Subsequently, the passenger was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) unit at the BIA for further investigation.
