An individual who attempted to enter Canada with a forged passport was apprehended in Sri Lanka.

A Sri Lankan national who attempted to flee to Canada in the morning with a forged Canadian passport was taken into custody by the Immigration and Emigration Investigation Unit at Katunayake Airport (16.03.2024).

The 24-year-old man was from Perth, according to the Department of Immigration and Emigration, and he had landed at the airport while traveling to Doha, Qatar.

The Canadian passport he showed during aircraft check-in raised suspicions among airline staff, so they directed him to the Immigration and Emigration Border Control Unit at the airport for additional scrutiny. His passport turned out to be false, it was later found.

According to the department, a forged Gulf Airlines ticket to the Maldives was also seized on the man's person, along with his real Sri Lankan passport.

He told Immigration and Emigration officers he was heading to the Maldives after first presenting a fictitious Canadian passport at the Sri Lankan Airlines counters to get tickets to Doha and then to Canada. According to investigations, he intended to use the last gate to join a flight that was headed for Doha by showing fictitious Gulf Airlines tickets.

Investigations found that he received funding and assistance from an uncle in Canada, who also paid a broker in Sri Lanka 40 lakhs to arrange for this trip.

Following preliminary examinations, the juvenile was sent over to the Katunayake Airport Criminal Investigation Department by immigration and immigration authorities for more inquiries.