Delhi: 44 held for forging passports and visas this year

Three arrested recently after police probe a case of four men from western UP who were deported from Armenia last week.

In the first eight months of the year, Delhi airport police have arrested 44 men from across Delhi for forging passports/visas and duping people by charging them for the fake documents.Police shared this data after three men were recently arrested for allegedly duping four people.

Police said they arrested 55 people who specialised in passport and visa fraud last year. (For representational purposes only)

Deputy commissioner of police (airport) Vikram Porwal said the three were arrested when police was investigating a case of four men from western Uttar Pradesh, who were deported from Armenia last week.

“On the intervening night of August 25 and 26, four passengers were deported from Yerevan, Armenia. After scrutinising their passports, we found that they had left from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport for Armenia on the basis of e-visas of the Republic of Armenia. They were refused entry at Yerevan airport on the grounds of holding other persons’ visas. We registered a case and arrested the four men,” said Porwal.

The four men-- from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh--was lured by one Mehboob Khan, who is also originally from UP.

During questioning, the four men said that they got the visas from an agent named Saif after paying ₹1.50 lakh. “We arrested Saif from Delhi’s Okhla, who disclosed the names of his accomplices-- Mahesh Kumar from Gurugram and Mehboob Khan from Muzaffarnagar. Khan runs a ticketing a shop in Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar,” said Porwal.

Police said so far, they have arrested 44 men for forging documents and cheating and have launched a drive to find such suspects, who dupe people looking for jobs abroad. “Last year, police arrested 55 such agents, who specialised in passport and visa fraud,” said Porwal.