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A Bulging Giveaway
A female Sri Lankan national must have experienced ants in her pants when she retrieved her luggage from the arrival belt. And the pants that had her on her toes were not the pair that she donned, but the pair that was in her luggage, and which eventually landed her in trouble.
2 On the morning of 1 July 2008 at Changi Airport Terminal 1 Arrival Hall, ICA officers conducted checks on a 29 year-old female Sri Lankan national and her baggage. While no anomalies were detected during the X-ray screening, the vigilant officers observed that she appeared uneasy and proceeded to conduct physical checks on her luggage.
3 During the check, the subject offered to help with the un-stuffing and swiftly removed a plastic bag from her luggage, placing it aside discreetly. The eagle-eyed officers were not hoodwinked by her “gesture of kindness”. Instead, they noticed her deliberate attempt to divert their attention from the plastic bag and zoomed in to check on it. In it was an ordinary pair of brown pants. The giveaway was the uneven sewing of the threading behind the zipper and a slight bulge.
Photo 1: A pair of innocent-looking pants
4 Upon cutting away the threads, officers found several pieces of forged immigration rubber stamps hidden in the zipper of the pants. The forgery paraphernalia uncovered included both Singapore and Malaysia immigration stamps which are likely to be used by syndicates offering services to immigration offenders to ‘prolong’ or ‘legalise’ their stay.
Photo 2: Uncovering the suspected forged immigration stamps
Photo 3: Exhibits seized
5 The subject recounted that the pair of pants was given to her by a male Sri Lankan national before her flight to Singapore. She was supposed to hand over the pants to another male Sri Lankan national upon arrival at the Singapore Changi Airport. However, she denied knowledge of the forgery paraphernalia.
6 The subject, together with the exhibits, was referred to the Singapore Police Force for further investigations.
7 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
8 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA’s online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA’s internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 or contact the Police.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
1 July 2008
2 On the morning of 1 July 2008 at Changi Airport Terminal 1 Arrival Hall, ICA officers conducted checks on a 29 year-old female Sri Lankan national and her baggage. While no anomalies were detected during the X-ray screening, the vigilant officers observed that she appeared uneasy and proceeded to conduct physical checks on her luggage.
3 During the check, the subject offered to help with the un-stuffing and swiftly removed a plastic bag from her luggage, placing it aside discreetly. The eagle-eyed officers were not hoodwinked by her “gesture of kindness”. Instead, they noticed her deliberate attempt to divert their attention from the plastic bag and zoomed in to check on it. In it was an ordinary pair of brown pants. The giveaway was the uneven sewing of the threading behind the zipper and a slight bulge.
Photo 1: A pair of innocent-looking pants
4 Upon cutting away the threads, officers found several pieces of forged immigration rubber stamps hidden in the zipper of the pants. The forgery paraphernalia uncovered included both Singapore and Malaysia immigration stamps which are likely to be used by syndicates offering services to immigration offenders to ‘prolong’ or ‘legalise’ their stay.
Photo 2: Uncovering the suspected forged immigration stamps
Photo 3: Exhibits seized
5 The subject recounted that the pair of pants was given to her by a male Sri Lankan national before her flight to Singapore. She was supposed to hand over the pants to another male Sri Lankan national upon arrival at the Singapore Changi Airport. However, she denied knowledge of the forgery paraphernalia.
6 The subject, together with the exhibits, was referred to the Singapore Police Force for further investigations.
7 ICA takes a serious view of attempts by foreigners to overstay or enter Singapore illegally. Under the Immigration Act (Cap 133), the penalties for overstaying or illegal entry are a jail term of up to six months plus a minimum of three strokes of the cane.
8 ICA would also like to remind the public that it is an offence to offer shelter and employment to immigration offenders. Homeowners can make use of ICA’s online checking system, called “VERIFI” (or Verification of Foreigner Immigration Status) to verify the immigration passes of their prospective tenants. VERIFI can be accessed through ICA’s internet website: http://www.ica.gov.sg and allows users to receive an instantaneous reply on the validity of the immigration passes presented to them. Similarly, MOM has a system to allow the checking on the validity of work passes at its website: http://www.mom.gov.sg. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Singapore safe and secure. We urge members of public with information regarding immigration offenders to call ICA at Tel: 1800-391 6150 or contact the Police.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
1 July 2008