Mother, daughter bound for Italy with forged visas intercepted at BIA

A Sri Lankan woman and her daughter attempting to depart for Italy were halted at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) by vigilant Immigration and Emigration Department officers, who discovered forged visas in their passports.

Immigration officials at the BIA Departure Terminal grew suspicious of the Italian visas affixed to the women's passports as they prepared to board a flight on Friday evening.

According to a senior immigration officer, the women were attempting to board SriLankan Airlines flight UL 207 to Abu Dhabi when they were apprehended at the counters.

The pair was subsequently escorted to the department’s Border Surveillance Unit (BSU), where a rapid document examination confirmed that their Sri Lankan passports contained counterfeit Italian visas.

Hailing from Kayts, Jaffna, the 40-year-old woman and her 21-year-old daughter had planned to transit through Abu Dhabi before continuing on to Malpensa, Italy.

Following initial statements, the immigration authorities transferred the suspects to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Unit at the BIA for further investigation.