In a revealing statement made on Derana TV, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala shared a disturbing experience regarding a case of passport forgery that occurred on the day he assumed office. Watagala explained that, on his very first day in office, an individual had deceived both him and his staff, producing seven fraudulent passports by providing false information.
The Deputy Minister revealed that the person responsible had been identified, and he immediately instructed the police to arrest the individual. He recounted how the person, who seemed to be an official from the ministry, misled the ministry staff by claiming to have come from the Presidential Secretariat. According to Watagala, the individual led him to a location where the passports were prepared, under the guise of a formal visit. He recalled being taken to a place where tea was served and the passports were shown to him, even though such procedures were not customary for ministers.
Watagala expressed his disbelief at the deception, emphasizing that the individual had misrepresented themselves, and misused his position to facilitate the creation of fraudulent passports. He stated that the actions were clearly a breach of trust, and he was determined to ensure that such incidents would not happen again.
The Deputy Minister’s revelation comes as part of his ongoing efforts to reform the ministry and crack down on illegal activities, particularly those related to document fraud. He affirmed that further investigation would continue, and the perpetrators would be held accountable for their actions.
