Mumbai News: Gujarat Man Booked For Attempting To Travel To UK With Fake Degree Certificate

Mumbai: An immigration officer has lodged a case against an individual for allegedly presenting a counterfeit BTech degree certificate to the UK embassy and securing a migrant visa. The accused, a 25-year-old man named Abdul Patel, made an attempt to travel to the United Kingdom using fraudulent documents. The case has been registered at the Sahar police station.

On October 8, at 11 a.m., Nasir Abdul Aziz Patel (25), hailing from Bharuch in Gujarat, arrived at the Mumbai International Airport with the intention of traveling to the United Kingdom. He presented his Indian passport and boarding pass at the Immigration counter for verification. The immigration officer observed a Skilled Worker Migrant Visa on page number 4 of his passport. When questioned about the purpose of his travel, Patel failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.

When asked about his educational qualifications, he claimed to possess a BTech degree but was unable to produce the actual degree certificate. Instead, he displayed a photo of the degree certificate on his mobile phone, which appeared to be issued by Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University, Hyderabad. However, he was unable to identify the college from which he had supposedly earned this BTech degree. Suspecting foul play, the immigration officer referred him to the Wing Incharge for further investigation.

Upon inquiry, the Wing Incharge discovered that Patel's intention was to settle in the UK for better prospects. To achieve this, he had obtained a counterfeit degree certificate from an individual named Ismail Patel in Baroda, Gujarat, for a payment of Rs. 1.5 lakh. He subsequently submitted this fraudulent degree certificate to the UK embassy, securing a Migrant visa and attempting to travel to the UK.

The Airport authorities have filed a case against Patel at the Sahar police station under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (forged document) of the IPC Act.