The Asian Age

FIR against 4 for travelling with forged passports

- SUNIL THAPLIYAL

The Delhi police has filed a case against four people who were allegedly travelling with fake Indian passports from Delhi to Toronto via Incheon (South Korea). They were detained by the Korean immigratio­n authoritie­s and sent back to India. Surprising­ly, Korean Air brought them back as normal passengers and conveyed that they were not handed over as deportees despite the fact that Korean immigratio­n shared this informatio­n with the Indian embassy in Seoul. The police is also investigat­ing the role of airlines and immigratio­n officials.

On June 30, as per an input, four Indian nationals were detained in Incheon for travelling to Toronto with fake passports. After an inquiry into the matter, it was revealed that the accused had departed from IGI Airport by a Korean Air flight on June 30 and deported on July 1.

The actual passports had valid Canadian visas and the same were used by the accused by replacing the biographic­al pages. The CCTV footage of the four accused, captured during their departure and arrival, did not match with the photograph­s in the immigratio­n

The real passports had valid Canadian visas and the same were used by the accused by replacing the biographic­al pages

database of their respective passports.

The FIR also states that the accused, on several occasions, travelled together to Mumbai and Ahmedabad using the fake passports.

As per the details provided by Korean Air, the accused booked a flight to Toronto via Incheon and had a July 26 return ticket from Toronto to Mumbai via Incheon. During the course of investigat­ion, Korean Air, on two occasions — July 21 and August 1, informed the probe agencies that none of the accused were handed over as deportees on their arrival on July 1 at IGI Airport. Significan­tly, Korean Air, who brought them back on July 1, did not share any informatio­n on this account with the immigratio­n department at IGI Airport despite the fact that all the four passengers were intercepte­d in Incheon with fake passports and ID proofs.

The police has registered a case under relevant Sections of the IPC against the accused.

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