The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police has busted a racket of fake Mauritian passports and visa in Andheri West in northwestern Mumbai.
Following the raid, two people were arrested and 28 fake passports and 24 fake visas were seized. According to local reports, a third accused was being looked for.
Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police, Prashant Kadam, was cited as saying that the crime branch raided a flat located at Shiv Shakti Society in Andheri West and seized various articles, including fake passports, visas, and stamps from the immigration department of over 13 countries.
Besides the fake passports, the Crime Branch also seized fake rubber stamps of Mauritius’ immigration department, but also so those of the UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, the Maldives, Canada, Turkey, France, the Republic of Ghana, and other countries.
Kadam said the accused used to help travel agents prepare fake passports for those travelling abroad without proper documents. They charged them between INR100,000 and INR500,000 per passport.
An offence (FIR No. 05/2023, Crime Branch) (FIR No. 84/2023, DN Nagar Police) has been registered under sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 473, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and section 12 of the Indian Passport Act 1967 against the accused.
The police seized a total of 414 fake rubber stamps, including those of airport health officers, deputy passport officers, and the fake rubber stamps of several banks, including the State Bank of India, Axis Bank, HDFC, Punjab National Bank, and Bank of Baroda.
Besides the mobile phones, two computers, three colour printers, a scanner, and seven pen drives were also seized.
The police also seized fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates from Mumbai’s J Hospital, since the accused used them to ensure that the travellers proceeded smoothly.
Source: Times of India
