Immigration officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport detained two passengers bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after discrepancies were found between the ages mentioned in their passports and their actual appearances. Upon detailed verification, both passengers were taken into custody, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Lal Mohammad (57), a resident of Bengaluru, and Imam Hussain (59) from Bihar. As per their passports, their ages were mentioned as 46 and 49 respectively. However, during questioning, the mismatch raised suspicion, prompting officers to investigate further.
According to Sahar Police, both the accused had secured new passports using forged birth certificates to understate their real ages. Further inquiries revealed that they resorted to this fraud because Gulf countries typically impose an upper age limit of 50 years for foreign workers, making it difficult for them to secure jobs abroad once past that age.
During interrogation, the duo admitted to concealing their original passports and submitting fake documents to obtain new ones, showing reduced birth years. Lal Mohammad had originally declared 1967 as his birth year, but his new passport listed 1984 — making his age appear 17 years younger. Similarly, Imam Hussain’s original documents recorded his birth year as 1966, but his updated passport showed 1976.
After the fraud came to light, the immigration department alerted Sahar Police, who promptly arrested both individuals under charges of cheating, forgery, and violation of the Passport Act. The accused have been remanded to police custody, and further investigation is underway to determine if any third parties assisted them in procuring the forged documents.