Two Congolese women from Dzaleka refugees camp managed to beat the security checks at Chileka International Airport in Blantyre with forged passports, Maravi Post has established.
According to our reliable source, the two boarded the Ethiopian Airlines to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
They identified the two as Tsiala Lubanza and Mboma Ewaly.
“Yes the two managed to fly to Ethiopia but the Lilongwe Handling Company (Lihaco) employees alerted airport officials in Addis baba, Ethiopia about the development and they were sent back to Malawi two days later, and as I am speaking to you they are remanded at Chichiri Prison in Blantyre,” said our source.
Information sourced by Maravi Post indicate that Lubanza, used a forged British passport number C00383890 belonging to Bukulu Jeaninne Ngalula while Mboma Ewaly used a forged South African passport number A04172704 belonging to Nomafusi Nonkosinathi Mavis.
While admitting the development, Immigration Department spokesperson Joseph Chauwa said the department is investigating the matter.
“We are equally surprised that something of this kind happened that these two individuals managed to slip through security mechanisms and fly out. We are aware that other security organs such as the police are also conducting criminal investigations into the same matter,” said Chauwa.
It is reported that the Lihaco employee noticed the two when one of them was failing to speak English and that their faces did not match the images on their passports.
The report says the Lihaco employee was surprised that one Immigration officer (name withheld) took the passports from the two suspects as they queued at the Immigration counter and disappeared out of the terminal building.
However, the Lihaco officers sent an e-mail to Addis Ababa about the development in order to scrutinise the two passengers thoroughly.
“It is believed that the Immigration officer made sure that the two suspected passengers should not appear in their electronic system where every passenger is taken fingerprints, facial scans and other details which is against international travel guidelines, added our source.
Effort to talk to the police on the matter proved futile as their number could not be reached.