Suspected human smuggler nabbed at BIA

Rasika Somarathna

An Iranian national travelling on a forged Australian passport was detected at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and was deported to his port of origin - Bangkok, Immigration and Emigration officials said.

According to a confession made by the person he had arrived in Sri Lanka with the hope of entering Australia by illegal means.

He had also paid US $ 2000 to a dealer in Bangkok to secure forged travel documents.

Authorities believe the suspect could be a link of a wider racket involving human smuggling\trafficking with Sri Lanka being used as a transit point.

According to Immigration Officer S.L. Liyanagama who made the detection, the suspect had been detained initially as he was acting in a suspicious manner and further inquiries revealed that he possessed a forged Australian passport.

Later officials had found an Iranian passport in his possession which was hidden inside a few layers of socks he was wearing.

The person had been deported on the instructions of Controller of Immigration and Emigration P.B. Abeykoon, the Immigration Officer added.

In a recent US report on human trafficking, Sri Lanka has been identified as a source and destination country for men and women trafficked for the purpose of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation.