The Anti-Terrorist Cell (ATC) arrested a 42-year-old man from Shivaji Nagar, Govandi for using a forged passport, travelling abroad several times since 2003.
The ATC of Shivaji Nagar police had received a tip-off about the accused, Badre Alam Nazir Ahmad Sheikh from informants in the immigration and security teams, on Tuesday. The tip-off mentioned that Sheikh had entered India from Saudi Arabia, yet again, using a forged passport.
Police subsequently formed a team led by PSI Prashant Kamble (ATC) and started searching for his whereabouts based on the tip-off. On the same day, they acquired his address. At his residence, they found a man, and upon inquiring with him, he said his name was Badre Alam Nazir Ahmad Sheikh. At first, he denied everything about the passport forging, later it came to light that he had three passports in his possession. While the photo in all three passports matched his face, the names on all three of them were Asif Iqbal Sheikh.
While his original address is in Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, in the fake passports his address was listed in Qureshi Nagar, Kurla East. The first passport was dated from October 2003 to October 2013. The second was from April 2013 to April 2023. While the third was from August 2022 to August 2032. He had renewed it twice, without getting caught, said the police.
Sheikh confessed to the police
During interrogation, Sheikh confessed to the police that he made the forged passport in the name of Asif Iqbal Sheikh who is his brother-in-law from his first wife. However, he simply changed the photo in the passport and kept using it for travelling purposes to Saudi Arabia. He had other documents which were named after Asif Iqbal Sheikh, including his PAN Card.
Police sources revealed that they suspected he would travel to other countries, mostly to the Gulf to do hawala business. Sheikh, who is currently in police custody, is being interrogated by the police to learn about any possible crime he might have committed previously in India or abroad using the forged documents.
Case registered against Sheikh under various acts
A case has been registered against him under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document which is forged in nature) among others of the Indian Penal Code and section 3 (departing from India without a valid passport or travel document) and 12 (1) (b) (knowingly furnishes false information to obtain a passport or travel document) of the Passports Act.
