Press Trust of India

Dubai, Apr 4 (PTI) : An Indian tourist in Dubai had to endure imprisonment after an impostor allegedly ran up unpaid credit card bills in his name. Mathew Joseph, a fisherman from Trivandrum who says he is visiting the UAE for the first time, was arrested over unpaid credit card dues of another man from Kerala whose name and other details resemble Joseph's, local media reports said.

Joseph was held on January 12 and remanded at the Al Ghusais police station. He is currently on bail but is not allowed to fly back to India.

Police said Joseph has about Rs 1,94,719 or 14,000 dirhams in unpaid credit card dues, which he accumulated while he worked in Dubai a few years ago.

Interestingly, Joseph's name, his father's and mother's name along with his picture and even the signature in the passport matches that of another absconding individual who had worked as a driver in Dubai a few years ago. Even his date of birth is just seven days adrift of the alleged absconder.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai said it has issued a letter authenticating his passport as original.

According to officials at the Consulate, the letter can be produced before the authorities here and should be sufficient proof to determine the legality of the travel document.