A 38-year-old Nigerian man was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) while attempting to leave Sri Lanka with a forged Ghanaian passport, authorities said.
Immigration and Emigration Department officials at BIA made the arrest on Jan. 29. Investigators found that the suspect had been in Sri Lanka since 2019 and was under a court-imposed travel ban due to cases at the Negombo and Mount Lavinia magistrate’s courts.
During his stay, he had violated immigration laws and was detained at the Mirihana Detention Centre, from which he allegedly escaped.
The suspect arrived at BIA at 8:55 p.m. to board Qatar Airways flight QR-655. After completing departure procedures, he presented the forged passport at the Immigration counter. Officials, suspecting its authenticity, referred the document to the Border Surveillance Unit, which confirmed it was fake.
He was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department at BIA for further investigation. (NewsWire)