CID arrests Immigration Officials for issuing fake passports to criminals

A Deputy Controller and a former Deputy Controller of the Immigration and Emigration Department were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for allegedly issuing fake passports and aiding underworld criminals Nuresh Supun Dayaratne, alias ‘Heenatiyana Mahesh,’ and Shan Arosh Liyanage, alias ‘Mathugama Shan,’ in fleeing the country.

Following an investigation into the incident, the two were taken into Police custody, and a senior CID official said that further statements would be taken from them to obtain more information about the incident as well as whether they had prepared passports in this manner to help other criminals.

Police suspect that the two suspects may have received large sums of money to prepare these passports.

Police stated that one of the two arrested suspects is to be produced before the Vavuniya Magistrate’s Court, and the other suspect before the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court.

The suspects have been arrested according to an investigation conducted under the supervision of DIG of the CID, Rohan Premaratne.

The Deputy Controller of the Immigration Department has been accused of preparing the foreign passport for “Heenatiyana Mahesh” by entering the fake name of Manikkuge Dinesh Silva and entering a fake passport number and a fake identity card number.

The suspect Deputy Controller was arrested by the CID while he was receiving treatment at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital.

It was reported that a former Deputy Controller of the Immigration Department was arrested for preparing a fake passport for organized criminal ‘Mathugama Shan’.

The suspect prepared a fake passport using the fake name of Dodangoda Liyanage Rajesh Kumara Jayasinghe.

It has been revealed that the suspected former Deputy Controller currently works as a Deputy Director of the Pensions Department.

A senior officer of the Immigration and Emigration Department stated that an internal investigation has been initiated regarding the conduct of these two officials.