Two foreigners held in Mumbai for exchanging boarding passes to travel to different countries

The Sahar police here have booked two persons under sections for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

The Mumbai Police have arrested a Sri Lankan native and a German citizen after they allegedly exchanged their boarding passes at the airport here to travel to London and Kathmandu respectively, an official said on Thursday. The incident took place on Monday at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here.

It was also found that the departure stamp number on the passport was different from the stamp number on his boarding pass, the official said. (Raj K Raj/HT File PHOTO)

The 22-year-old Sri Lankan citizen, who was travelling on a fake passport, and the 36-year-old German native had exchanged their boarding passes in a toilet at the airport for travelling to London and Kathmandu, the official said. The matter came to light when an attendant of an airline company noticed that the departure stamp on the passport of the Sri Lankan citizen appeared to be forged, he said.

It was also found that the departure stamp number on the passport was different from the stamp number on his boarding pass, the official said. After realising that he was caught, the Sri Lankan national, who had reached the UK, revealed his original identity following which he was deported to Mumbai on Tuesday, the police said. During enquiry, he told the police that he wanted to go to the UK for a better career opportunity, the official said.

The police also apprehended the German citizen who had the Kathmandu-bound boarding pass, he said. During interrogation of the two foreigners, it came to light that both stayed in a plush hotel near the airport in Mumbai on April 9 and hatched the plan to swap their boarding passes, the official said. The Sahar police here have booked two persons under sections for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy, he said. The police were investigating if more people involved in the crime, he added.