Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed that the Sri Lankan police have filed court cases against two Maldivians who were arrested in Sri Lanka today.
The ministry said the two Maldivians whose cases were submitted to court include a man who had been in the country without visa for 9 months and a man who had brought in a type of cigarette banned in Sri Lanka and had failed to provide valid identification.
Sri Lankan police had initially arrested 12 Maldivians, including three children, under a nationwide operation conducted today. A mother and her three children were brought into police custody after they were unable to provide their passports to the police. However, they have been released after they provided a document proving their passports had been handed over to the Sri Lankan Immigration for visa stamping.
A Maldivian woman who had been in Sri Lanka without visa for 6 months was also arrested today. She has now been fined and released under bail. Four Maldivian men who were in a coffee shop without any documents of identification had also been brought into police custody, although all four have now been released.
Sri Lankan police have increased security measures in the country following the terrorist attacks in the country on April 21, 2019. They have advised all foreigners in the country to always carry identification with them, even when at home or going outside.