Two Afghan nationals held with fake passports, visas

Despite alerts from intelligence agencies, entering India without proper documents and even living here is quite easy if one takes the help of touts. This came to light when two Afghan nationals came to India and managed to arrange fake Indian visas for Russia and successfully boarded flights to reach Moscow Airport. But their luck ran out as soon as they descended on Russian soil and were caught and sent back to IGI Airport.

‘They had Indian visa which was found to be fake after investigation. We also concluded that their Cyprian passports were fake too,’ said M I Haider, DCP (Airport). Both the passports and visas were provided by a Delhi based agent for a payment of in $21000,’ added Haider. The accused were also carrying Nepali visas and the arrival stamps of Integrated Check-Posts (ICP) Sonauli along with departure stamp of Nepal. The accused are residents of Helmand province in Afghanistan. They have been identified as Mohammad Rafiq and Wasil from Helmand, Afghanistan.

According to the FIR, the accused contacted their relatives in Afghanistan who managed a Delhi based agent Khallid, alias Bakhtawar, residing near Lajpat Nagar area in the national capital. The payment was made in Kabul to one designated person of the agent by the relatives of the two accused. The agent then handed over the Cyprian passports with Indian visas and immigration stamps to the accused.

They (the accused) further stated that on receiving the Cyprian passport one designated person booked one of the accused’s tickets with Lufthansa Airlines and the other with Austrian Airlines for departure to Cyprus on the night of 10 July. ‘The agent had provided them fake passports here in Delhi after which the accused took a flight to Moscow from where they were supposed to take another flight to Cyprus,’ said Haider. A case under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 IPC & 14 other foreign acts were filed against both the accused. They have been  sent to judicial custody on Friday.