A senior immigration officer has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating the creation of a fake passport to replace the expired foreign passport of Kehelbaddara Padme, a notorious organized criminal currently hiding abroad.
The suspect is an Assistant Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.
According to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the officer had allegedly arranged for the issuance of a fake passport without including the biometric fingerprint data of Kehelbaddara Padme. Authorities revealed that Padme had originally traveled abroad in 2021 using a passport issued in 2014, which expired last year. A new passport was then issued to replace the expired one.
Police Media Spokesperson Buddhika Manatunga stated on Derana’s Big Focus program today that two other suspects from the Immigration and Emigration Department had previously been arrested in connection with this case. The arrest of the Assistant Controller General followed interrogations conducted with those suspects.
“The criminal known as Kehelbaddara Padme is currently abroad. It is not possible for him to obtain a new passport from Sri Lanka because, to do so, the applicant must be physically present in the country. This irregularity was uncovered during the investigation,” Manatunga explained.
He further added, “We must understand that every institution has a few corrupt individuals who betray their responsibilities for money. This applies not only to the police but also to the Immigration and Emigration Department, the Attorney General’s Department, and the courts. However, the presence of such individuals does not define the character of the entire institution, which operates according to the law. We are committed to investigating and prosecuting the crimes committed by these individuals.”
It was also revealed that those involved in creating the fake passport had obtained a photograph of Kehelbaddara Padme via WhatsApp, edited it, and submitted it to the Immigration and Emigration Department as part of the passport application.
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