Bangla man held year after he tried to fly to UAE on Indian passport

A 27-year-old Bangladeshi man has been arrested nearly 14 months after he tried to travel to the UAE from the Kempegowda International Airport here on a valid Indian passport that he had obtained with fake supporting documents.

Mahammad Riyadh, a native of Noakhali district, Bangladesh, had illegally immigrated to India through the porous border in West Bengal five years ago. He later obtained a fake birth certificate and address proof. After some time, he moved to Mumbai where he stayed on LM Road, Borivali West, and managed to get an Indian passport and a work visa for Dubai by submitting the fake documents, a senior police officer said.

In March 2017, he came to Bengaluru to board a flight to Abu Dhabi but immigration officials didn't allow him to continue his travel as they were suspicious about his passport and work visa. They also stumbled upon a lookout notice issued by the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office (FRRO).

The BoI opened an investigation to check the authenticity of the documents that Riyadh had submitted while applying for the passport. Recently, the BOI learnt from its West Bengal counterparts and the FRRO that the documents were fake.

Subsequently, Mahipal Sehrawat, a BOI officer, lodged a complaint with the airport police who tracked down Riyadh on May 3. He has been booked for cheating, forgery and under several sections of the Passports Act. The officer said they were ascertaining his background and why he obtained the passport.