A 34-year-old man from Jaffna was arrested today at Katunayake Airport while attempting to fly to Canada using a fake passport. The man presented a passport with a valid visa at the immigration counter. The officer noticed discrepancies between the passport photo and the man’s appearance.

Further technological checks revealed the passport belonged to an individual subject to a travel ban issued by the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court. The suspect was then handed over to the Border Inspection Unit, where his National Identity Card (NIC) was found. During interrogation, the man confessed that a broker in Anuradhapura had facilitated the procurement of the passport, promising to be paid Rs. 13 million upon his arrival in Canada.