Five persons attempting to flee to Ukraine arrested at BIA with fake passports

Five persons who arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport  (BIA) in Katunayake using fake South Korean passports were arrested by Immigration Department officials today (Feb 20).

The five persons  identified as Vietnamese nationals had arrived in Sri Lanka on transit in a bid to flee to Ukraine.

The arrested individials included five men and one woman. As Vietnamese nationals cannot claim asylum in Ukraine the group attempted to enter by using fake South Korean passports.

The group who arrived in the country from Malaysia on a Malindo Air flight AO 185 at 12.40 am were accompanied by a 60-year-old South Korean citizen. However, the South Korean national was not arrested.

Thereafter, the group arrived at the Katunayake airport today (Feb 20) in a bid to board a flight on Ukraine International PS 388 which was departing to Ukraine at 11.05 am.

The group of five vietnamese nationals were arrested prior to take off.