Inp.polri.go.id - Badung. The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali deported a family of three Iraqi citizens on Tuesday after they were caught attempting to enter Indonesia using counterfeit Belgian passports. 

The suspects, consisting of a husband, wife, and their toddler, were intercepted by vigilant officers shortly after landing at Ngurah Rai International Airport on 28 February 2026.

"We conducted tests at our immigration forensic laboratory, which confirmed the documents were sophisticated forgeries," said Head of Ngurah Rai Immigration Bugie Kurniawan on Tuesday (3/3/2026), as quoted by antaranews.com

The family, who arrived via Emirates Airlines from Dubai, admitted during interrogation that they used the fake European passports to facilitate easier travel to EU countries, citing the difficulty of international movement with Iraqi documentation. 

While background checks through Interpol and national security databases returned no criminal records, the trio was detained for three days before being deported to Kuala Lumpur. Immigration authorities have vowed to intensify surveillance, warning that similar "exodus" attempts using fraudulent means may increase as civilians seek safety amidst escalating Middle Eastern conflicts.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)