Woman held on suspicion of fraud and illegal entry

A SRI LANKAN housemaid was remanded in custody for four days on suspicion of entering the island with a false passport and residing illegally on the island.

Nicosia CID Constable Eleni Anastasiadou yesterday told the court that her department was currently investigating six cases of passport and illegal entry into Cyprus against 48-year-old Parawahera Hewakama Arachige Disna Ranjani.

“After a tip off last Tuesday, Immigration officials went to an apartment in Strovolos where they met with the suspect. The suspect told investigating officers that although she had entered the island in 1996 under her real name after obtaining a permit to work as a housemaid, she was eventually deported in 2000 after her work permit expired,” said Anastasiadou.

According to Ranjani’s confession to investigating officers, she had reentered the island under a false passport in 2002 bearing the name Perera Amitha and managed to obtain another permit to work as a housemaid.

Anastasiadou continues, “The suspect claims that she had bought the passport in her own country for 50,000 Rupees (£214). She was arrested that same night and told arresting officers that she admitted the charges.”

Judge Alexandros Panayiotou dismissed State Prosecutor Eleni Theodotou’s request for a remand period of eight days saying that “although there appears to be enough reasonable suspicion against the suspect, the court does not believe that the remand period is just”.

The judge added, “I do not believe that the police need eight days to take down 30 statements for a case in which the suspect has more or less confessed. Four days will suffice.”

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