Central Crime Branch busts gang involved in fake passport racket

CHENNAI: Central Crime Branch’s Fake Passport wing apprehended the absconding accused who was part of a gang that made and issued fake passports and visas in Chennai.

A couple of weeks ago, based on a tip off from Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Chennai Zone, CCB officials arrested the mastermind, M Mohammed Sheik Iliyaz (54) of Royapuram, on May 20.

Based on the information provided by him, a police team arrested two persons - N Sivakumar (43), and A Mohammed Buhari (42), on Monday and remanded them in judicial custody. Police seized several items used to make fake passports from Buhari’s workstation in Royapuram. The police officials also seized over 160 documents of fake passports, passport covers, chemicals, UV light, a stamping machine and other equipment. Preliminary investigations revealed that they were successful in sending a few hundred people abroad with the fake documents. According to a CCB official, Iliyaz’s gang paid agents for expired passports, then tore off the used pages and replaced them with duplicate ones. The gang used chemicals to conceal the laser holes on passport pages and replaced them with new duplicate numbers.

On Friday, the police team arrested J Ahmed Ali Khan (42) of Hyderabad, a travel agent who had issued more than 150 fake passports and visas to the accused arrested earlier. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.

The police team detained J Ahmed Ali Khan (42) of Hyderabad on Friday, a travel agent who had provided more than 150 fake passports and visas to the accused arrested earlier. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.