Afghan man who got Indian passport on fake documents held

MUMBAI: The Central Intellige-nce Unit (CIU) on Wednesday arrested an Afghanistani national from Santacruz who had not only overstayed his visa and got married, but also got an Indian passport using fake documents.

Acting on a tip-off, Majid Khan Shah Hazrat alias Miraj Tahir Khan (31) was nabbed from Vakola’s Prabhat Colony. During interrogation, Hazrat said a local, identified only as Shyam, had helped him get the passport on forged documents. The CIU is investigating if any regional passport officer or police officer was involved in the racket.

The suspect initially identified himself as Miraj Tahir Khan and furnished a ration card and passport. His wife, Shabnam Azimuddin Fazir, supported his claim. “But as we had specific information, we brought the couple to our office and interrogated them,” said an officer. The officials checked with the regional passport office and found that the serial number of his passport, which was issued in 2017, was genuine. It was only after sustained interrogation that the suspect admitted that his real name was Majid Khan Shah Hazrat and he was from Afghanistan. He said he had arrived in India in 2016. He tore his Afghanistan passport after his visa expired, married Shabnam in 2017 and then got the Indian passport.

A foreigner can legally obtain an Indian passport after acquiring citizenship for which he has to go through verification processes from immigration, ministry of external affairs and the home ministry, followed by an inquiry.