Two women arrested at BIA for attempt to send teen to UK with fake documents
April 29, 2024 06:23 pm
The Immigration and Emigration Department officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake have apprehended two women over their alleged involvement in an attempt to send a Sri Lankan teenage boy to London using forged documents.
One of the suspected women had attempted to take the teenager with her to London on Friday (26), using forged documents bearing the details of a Sri Lankan mother currently residing in UK along with her son.
The teenager in question has been identified as a 17-year-old boy, Ada Derana reporter said.
The woman, who is a resident of the Mullaitivu area, had arrived at the BIA at around 1.30 p.m. on Friday, with intentions to board a SriLankan Airlines flight bound for London accompanied by the boy in question.
Upon inspection, a ground staff officer raised suspicions regarding their documents and subsequently referred the matter to the officials of the Border Management Unit of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. Technical inspections had confirmed that the documents were forged.
Later, during the interrogations of the teenage boy in question, the officers have uncovered that the documents were indeed forged. He has further admitted that his actual mother was waiting at the departure terminal of the airport.
Subsequently, the officers have taken steps to also apprehend the boy’s biological mother.
The trio has been handed over to the custody of officers of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the airport for onward investigations.
