Two arrested by border security officials for identity theft

Maldives Immigration says two foreign citizens have been arrested by border security officials for attempting to enter Maldives under assumed identities.

The two imposters had been carrying passports of people similar to them in appearance.

According to Immigration, one of the imposters was arrested on Sunday, while the other was arrested on Monday.

Speaking to Sun, Immigration Controller Ahmed Hussain (Hanafy) said border security officials had also interception other imposters this year.

He declined to clarify their nationalities or the countries from which they entered Maldives for security reasons.

He said the Immigration will release a press statement to provide additional information regarding the arrests soon.

Immigration has released pictures of the two imposters intercepted this week along with photos of the passports they used via its official Twitter account.

Immigration says that foreign citizens who are deported from Maldives sometimes attempt to re-enter the country using assumed identities, and that it faces several legal challenges in re-deporting such imposters.

Immigration has launched an initiative in collaboration with other relevant State agencies to strengthen border security and prevent such crimes.