Bangladeshi man held with fake Indian passport; had travelled to Saudi Arabia twice

Mumbai: A 25-year-old Bangladeshi man was arrested from the Mumbai International Airport while trying to flee to Saudi Arabia on a fake Indian passport, police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Mohammad Osman Karamat Ali Biswas, has been staying in India illegally since 2012. He had made two trips to Saudi Arabia in 2016 and 2023 using a fake passport.

Police claimed Biswas managed to get his passport renewed at the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) during his last trip in 2023.

Biswas was trying to fly out to Saudi Arabia from Mumbai airport on August 11 using a fake identity as Usman Kiramat Siddique, a police official said.

Biswas' interrogation disclosed that he entered India illegally in 2012 from Bangladesh. He possessed key documents like the voter ID card, Aadhaar card, and PAN card made in his name, the official said.

Biswas' cover blew away when an immigration officer at the airport suspected his credentials as a resident of the Wakad area in Pune- the residential address mentioned in his passport, as he couldn't communicate in Marathi.

"Biswas' interrogation by senior officials disclosed he was originally from Bangladesh and illegally entered India in 2012. After spending two years in Kolkata, he moved to Wakad in Pune and got a voter ID card, Aadhaar card, and PAN card prepared in his name. He used these documents to make a fake passport," the official said.

Biswas first made a trip to Saudi Arabia on a fake passport in 2016 and returned to India in 2022. He travelled to the West Asian country again in 2023 and even got his passport renewed at the Indian embassy, the official added.

"The accused returned to India in March 2024. He was trying to travel to Saudi Arabia again on Sunday," he said.

A case was registered under the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act. Further investigation is underway, the official added.