Daijiworld Media Network - Vasco

Vasco, May 11: Airport police at Dabolim have arrested an Afghan national for allegedly travelling on a forged Indian passport while attempting to fly out of Goa, officials said on Sunday.

According to police, the case was registered after an officer from the Bureau of Immigration at Goa International Airport, Dabolim, Shanigaram Sriharsha, filed a complaint stating that a passenger identified as Iwraj Hiro, an Afghan citizen currently residing in Delhi, was intercepted during travel checks.

The accused had allegedly assumed the identity of “Anil Shukla,” claiming to be a resident of Delhi, and was found travelling on a forged Indian passport. Officials also recovered his original Afghan passport during the inspection.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had travelled in and out of India multiple times in 2009. He had reportedly renewed his Afghan passport abroad and re-entered India on January 2, 2016.

Authorities further stated that he had previously used another fraudulently obtained Indian passport under the name “Suresh Ahuja.”

The accused is also believed to have travelled to Goa via Bahrain after departing from Russia before being intercepted at Dabolim airport.

Police have registered a case against him under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Passport Act, and the Citizenship Act. Further investigation into the document fraud and travel history is underway.