At Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, immigration officials detained a man who was trying to board a flight to Rome using fake Indian passports. The man, known as Bipin Mahendra Basnet, is accused of being a Nepali national who has spent the last 40 years living illegally in India. On May 2, Basnet was supposed to go to Rome via Doha for a seaman's job, per a formal complaint filed with the Sahar Police. However, an assistant immigration officer who was reviewing his documents became concerned when she saw several travels to Nepal.
The accused stated during questioning that he was born in India in 1984 and that his parents were trapped in Mumbai during the 1976 Emergency. However, authorities found pictures confirming his Nepali citizenship and frequent call logs to Nepal during a forensic examination of his cell phone.
It is alleged that Basnet obtained an Aadhaar card, a PAN card, and a voter ID by using a fake Indian birth certificate. Basnet was taken into custody in accordance with the provisions of the Passport Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He would be deported in accordance with the proper legal procedures if it is proven that he is a Nepali national, a police officer stated.