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| Saturday, 7 February 2004 |
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Police bust forged passport racket by Asanga Warnakulasuriya Police have busted a forged passport and visa racket and apprehended a woman described the sister-in-law of the principal suspect who is allegedly behind sending notorious criminals and LTTE suspects abroad. The Western Province North Crimes Division which raided the suspect's house at Saranankara Road, Dehiwela on Thursday on a tip off, found 14 forged passports and a recently released N-series passport (not altered) along with modern scanners and digital laser printers. The equipment was valued at over Rs. 5 million. Police found a state-of-the-art hand held digital scanner capable of scanning pin-point details in passports. Police suspect the digital scanner had been used to extract technical details in the new N-series passport. Police also found two printing kits used in turning out almost any kind of seals and franks. A stock of special laminating paper used for passports were also found neatly packed inside a book belonging to the suspect's son, Police said. The OIC of the WP North Crimes Division Gamini Ratnayake told the Daily News that the main suspect and the sister-in-law had been in the racket for over five years where they had forged passports, visa, metal tags in vehicle chassis and had also manufactured forged seals of the Immigration Department. The suspect who had fled following the sister-in-law's arrest was wanted by Police, Immigration and Emigrations Department and Customs for various frauds. The suspect had charged around Rs. 400,000 to 500,000 per each passport, SI Chandana Gamage said. Under the direction of DIG WP North Padmasiri Liyanage and SP Premasiri Vithana, ASP Priyantha Jayakody is investigating to nab the main suspect. SI Chandana Gamage also assisted. |
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