Two arrested at Paphos Airport with forged documents

A man and a woman are under arrest on suspicion of attempting to fly out of Cyprus from Paphos Airport used forged travel documents.

The woman, aged 19 from the Congo, was preparing to board a flight to France while the man, a 23-year-old Albanian national, was due to fly to Bristol, the Cyprus News Agency reported on Friday. Both incidents occurred on Thursday.

They were arrested for forgery, illegal entry and illegal residence in the Republic.

Paphos police deputy chief Michalis Ioannou said the woman, who was intending to travel to France, had shown a French passport to immigration officials at Paphos Airport. Officials became suspicious because it appeared to be forged and the person pictured in the passport did not resemble the holder.

Under questioning she reportedly admitted that the passport and a permanent residence permit in her possession were not hers. She said that she was from the Congo and had arrived in Cyprus through the north on December 5.

In a separate incident, a passport official at Paphos Airport was notified that a man with a one-way ticket to Bristol had presented a French passport which was checked and appeared not to be genuine.

The man reportedly admitted he was from Albania. Police also found a French ID in his luggage with a different name. The man was found to be residing illegally in the Republic.