Trio held for making, issuing fake passports
Police seized over 160 documents of fake passports, passport covers, chemicals, UV light, stamping machine and other equipment in Royapuram.
CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch’s Fake Passport wing has busted a gang in the city for making fake passports and visas.
Ten days ago, based on a tip off from Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Chennai, CCB arrested the mastermind, M Mohammed Sheik Iliyaz (54) of Royapuram on May 20. Based on information gleaned from him, a police team arrested N Sivakumar (43) and A Mohammed Buhari (42) on Monday and remanded them in judicial custody.
Police seized over 160 documents of fake passports, passport covers, chemicals, UV light, stamping machine and other equipment from Buhari’s workstation in Royapuram. Investigations revealed that the gang had sent a few hundred people abroad with these documents.
Sub Inspector G Emerson of CCB said, “Iliyaz has been running the network for the past 15 years. He was arrested in 2003 and 2007, and also convicted twice. Recently, DRI arrested a man for smuggling gold from abroad. He carried a fake passport, which pointed towards Iliyaz.”
According to another CCB official, the gang bought expired passports from agents, tore off the used pages and replaced them with duplicate ones. The gang used chemicals to cover the holes on passport pages and replaced them with new duplicate numbers.
Investigation had been pending for 236 cases registered by CCB Fake Passport wing between 2008 and 2022. But now it’s completed and sanction for prosecution was obtained in 175 cases, of which, 22 cases were taken on file in the Judicial Magistrate Court, Alandur.
