Afghan national with expired visa held in Gurugram, says he fears Taliban

Police said Jabari was detained and later quizzed, after which he revealed his real identity. This was also established from his travel documents later. Inspector Sandeep Kumar, station house officer of Sector 50 police station, said the suspect had a valid passport but his visa had expired on May 10, 2020, when the first Covid-19 lockdown was in place

An Afghan national was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly carrying an expired visa after he was found roaming suspiciously on a service road in Sector 51, police said on Monday, adding he allegedly avoided returning to his country out of fear after Taliban took over the control. He was identified as Rahullah Jabari (33) from Kabul.

The suspect allegedly avoided returning to his country out of fear after Taliban took over the control, police said. (AFP/ Photo for representation)

Investigators said he was stopped by a police team which spotted him while patrolling and asked about his details. The team questioned Jabari but he tried to mislead them by identifying himself as an Uzbek national.

Police said Jabari was detained and later quizzed, after which he revealed his real identity. This was also established from his travel documents later. Inspector Sandeep Kumar, station house officer of Sector 50 police station, said the suspect had a valid passport but his visa had expired on May 10, 2020, when the first Covid-19 lockdown was in place.

Jabari arrived in India on a tourist visa. After his visa expired, the lockdown relaxed and international flights resumed, he had tried to return to Afghanistan and had contacted the embassy officials too. However, by the time he could take any action, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and out of fear, he decided to continue staying in India. Investigators said he was working with a man in Delhi dealing in rice supply to earn his livelihood. “He used to come to Gurugram to meet a friend to play snooker at least thrice a week. It was during one such visit that we spotted him,” said a police officer privy to the case.

“His visa was issued on November 11, 2019. He was presently staying in Mahipalpur, Delhi,” SHO Kumar said.

The SHO said an FIR was registered under Section 14 (penalty for remaining in India even after visa expiry) of the Foreigners Act at Sector 50 police station on Sunday. “He was sent to judicial custody on Monday. Senior officers have been told about his arrest so that embassy officials from Afghanistan could be informed,” he added.