The Deputy Controller (Administration) of the Department of Immigration and Emigration has been arrested over allegations of facilitating the issuance of a forged foreign passport, police stated.

The 51-year-old suspect, a resident of Matara, was arrested today(07) by the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau following an investigation launched on the instructions of the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court.

Police alleged that the official accepted a passport application without proper verification, allowing the photograph of a deported organised crime suspect from Chennai, India, to be linked to another individual's personal details.

Further investigations are underway.