An official from the Department of Immigration and Emigration has been arrested and handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department for aiding persons to travel overseas for employment using fake passports and travel documents.
According to Mawbima, the official had escorted a woman attempting to travel to Oman using a tourist visa by misleading officials of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) by showing an Indian visa and air ticket.
The incident is reported to have taken place at a time when the Katunayake airport was busy with several departing flights.
The official is reported to have introduced the woman as his relative to the SLBFE officials and had requested to approve her travel documents to India soon.
After approving the travel documents, the SLBFE officers followed the two individuals on suspicion which led to their arrest.
The two suspects were arrested after the woman had received approval for travel to India but was in possession of a tourist visa and ticket to Oman.
At a time when Sri Lanka has halted dispatching migrant workers as domestic maids to Oman, the Official is reported to have engaged as a key player in the racket illegally sending Sri Lankan women for employment to Oman using a tourist visa.
The Immigration Department official and the suspect woman were produced before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court, after which the official was remanded and the woman was released on two sureties of Rs. 7,500 and Rs. 25,000.
The Criminal Investigations Department is conducting further investigations into the incident. (NewsWire)