Valsad: The Special Operations Group of the Gujarat Police on Friday claimed to have busted an alleged fake passport racket in Valsad district by arresting four accused including a woman in the case. Officials said that the accuse issued fake Portuguese passports to the people on the basis of fake identity cards and documents.
Police have seized a total of 5 duplicate passports and conducted further investigation. The accused were arrested during a special drive of the Gujarat Police following specific intelligence inputs over a fake passport racket. Superintendent of Police, Valsad, Dr. Karanraj Vaghela said that the police detained the accused Mohammad Sohil Sarfuddin Shaikh from the road near Mota Garnala Bridge.
An Indian passport and birth certificate were seized from his possession, the SP said. He said that on further interrogation, the arrested accused said he had made a fake passport of Mohammad Sohil Sarfuddin Shaikh in the name of Sohil Imran Shaikh in the year 2021 for which the birth certificate of Gram Panchayat Jujwa was presented with false documentary evidence.
Police seized a mobile phone, Aadhar card, PAN card, driving license and registered a case against the accused, the SP Valsad said. He further informed that the mastermind of the scam, Mohammad Saqib alias Tom Maqsood, was arrested by the police on Sept 11 this year. During his interrogation, he was the first Indian on the charge of forging Portuguese passports of more than 10 other persons with fake names, addresses, police said.
Three fake passports of different people have been recovered from the accused. A total of five passports have been seized from the accused. Pertinently, people born in Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Goa before 1961 and have registered their birth and of their sons and grandsons can get entry into Portugal.
After getting Portuguese passport, the beneficiaries can easily travel to 29 European countries.
