The Sahar Police have arrested seven passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after they were deported from Dubai for travelling on fake visas. A case has been registered against them under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code related to forgery and cheating.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Kaushikkumar Gordhanbhai Patel, Arthkumar Virendrakumar Patel, Maharshi Kalpeshkumar Patel, Prithvirajgiri Gajendragiri Goswami, Bhargav Dilipkumar Joshi, Kunalkumar Dashrathbhai Prajapati, and Mohammad Zaid Hussainkhan Pathan — all residents of Gujarat.
According to officials, Vishnu Madhukar Sawant, an immigration officer posted at Mumbai International Airport and a resident of Dongarpada in Virar, was on duty Friday morning when he was assigned immigration checks for passengers arriving from various countries. During his routine inspection, he encountered a group of seven passengers who had been deported from Dubai.
Upon verifying their documents, including passports and visas, authorities discovered that the group was carrying fake visas allegedly issued in the name of the country 'Luxembourg (Shezan)'. These forged visas were used to travel from Mumbai to Dubai. However, upon arrival at the Dubai airport, immigration officials detected the forgery, leading to their immediate deportation back to Mumbai.
Following this, the Sahar Police took all seven individuals into custody for further questioning. The investigation revealed that the accused had attempted to deceive immigration officials by affixing bogus visa stickers to their passports.
Based on a formal complaint filed by Immigration Officer Vishnu Sawant, the police registered an FIR under relevant sections for presenting forged documents and attempting to cheat immigration authorities. All seven accused were arrested and produced before a court, which has remanded them to police custody.
Authorities are now probing the motive behind their use of fake visas and are trying to trace the source of the forged visa stickers.