The Maldives Immigration has reported intercepting 45 attempts to illegally enter the country through its air borders between January 1 and September 30, 2024. The interception cases include individuals attempting to enter the Maldives using counterfeit documents such as IDs, passports, resident visas, and even imposter attempts.

The breakdown of interceptions is as follows:

Q4 2023 (November 17 - December 31)

- Counterfeit resident card: 1 case

- Counterfeit passport: 5 cases

Q1 2024 (January - March)

- Counterfeit ID: 1 case

- Counterfeit passport: 6 cases

- Imposter: 1 case

Q2 2024 (April - June)

- Forged passport: 1 case

- Counterfeit passport: 16 cases

Q3 2024 (July - September)

- Counterfeit passport: 5 cases

- Counterfeit ID: 1 case

- Counterfeit bio page: 3 cases

- Imposter: 4 cases

- Counterfeit visa: 2 cases

- Counterfeit stamp: 4 cases

The data shows a marked increase in interceptions as the year has progressed, with a significant surge in counterfeit passport-related incidents. These interceptions highlight ongoing efforts by the Maldives Immigration to combat illegal border crossings and maintain the integrity of the country’s immigration system.