Maldives Immigration has revealed that within the past eight months, 1,664 individuals attempted to enter the country using forged documents at the airport border.

This significant statistic was shared during a press conference held by the Immigration office today.

Controller General of Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, announced that between November 17, 2023, and 15 July 2024, a total of 2,069 immigrants residing illegally in the Maldives were deported.

This figure marks an increase from the previous year, where 2,021 foreigners were deported between January 1 and November 16, through 41 raid operations.

So far this year, 153 raid operations have been conducted.

Shamaan emphasized that these operations are ongoing, highlighting the continuous efforts to monitor and prevent illegal entry into the Maldives.

He noted that the 1,664 individuals attempting to use forged documents were identified and deported immediately upon arrival at the airport.

Deputy Immigration Officer, Mohamed Shifan, elaborated on the measures taken to curb illegal migration.

He revealed that among the 1,664 individuals caught with forged documents, many tried to enter on forged work and tourist visas.

Specifically, 1,289 individuals from 85 countries attempted to enter with fake tourist visas, while 341 from 22 countries used forged work visas.

The breakdown of those using forged tourist visas includes 356 Bangladeshi nationals, 195 Sri Lankans, 162 Indians, 42 Nigerians, 35 Vietnamese, and 499 from other countries.

Regarding forged work visas, 205 were from Bangladesh, 38 from India, 31 from Sri Lanka, 8 from Indonesia, 6 from Nigeria, and 54 from other countries.

Shifan also mentioned that 33 individuals were intercepted for attempting to enter the Maldives using fraudulent means, with some aiming to use the Maldives as a transit destination to enter other countries with forged documents.

The Immigration office continues to crack down on such cases to ensure the integrity of the nation's borders.