Two Sri Lankans arrested at Changi Airport for holding fake UK passports

Two Sri Lankan nationals have been jailed eight months each for possessing fake UK passports at Changi Airport, Channel News Asia reported.

Nagamany Kangatharan, 46, and Kandasamy Niththiyananthan, 27, were sentenced to eight months’ jail last Thursday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Monday (Jul 9).

Investigations found that the two men, who are unrelated, sought the assistance of an unknown agent in Sri Lanka to find jobs overseas. The agent arranged for their trip to London through Singapore for between 330,000 Sri Lankan rupees (S$2,800) and 1 million Sri Lankan rupees.

Both men arrived in Singapore from Colombo on Jun 18 using their Sri Lanka passports. The following day, they met up with Ihsan Ismie Ishak, a 31-year-old Malaysian, who handed them two fake UK passports bearing their photos but with someone else’s particulars.

Upon reaching Changi Airport Terminal 1, Nagamany attempted to collect his boarding pass at the check-in counter while Kandasamy observed him. However, Nagamany left the counter hastily after the ticketing officers took longer than usual to process his boarding pass, ICA said.

The duo decided to abort their travel plan to London and return to Colombo. They then met up with Ihsan Ismie at the transit area of Terminal 3. ICA officers, who received information about the case, then arrested the three of them.

Under the Passports Act Section 47(6), a person knowingly in possession of a false foreign travel document faces a fine of up to S$10,000 and a jail term of up to 10 years.