Nepali Man Caught at Mumbai Airport with Fake Schengen Visa
Mumbai, May 19: A 26-year-old Nepali national was apprehended at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on May 13 for allegedly attempting to travel to Greece using a fake Schengen visa. The individual, identified as Risman Chaudhary, was booked by Sahar police under the Passport Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita after immigration officials discovered irregularities in his travel documents.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), Chaudhary was en route to Doha from where he planned to travel to Greece in a bid to settle in Europe. During document verification at the immigration checkpoint, officials noticed that his passport lacked standard security features. Further inspection under a UV lamp revealed that the visa stamp had poor-quality intaglio printing and no embedded security features.
Suspicious of the authenticity of the visa, immigration officers consulted with the Greek consulate, which confirmed that the visa was not officially issued by their authorities. Upon further investigation, Chaudhary confessed that he had obtained the fake visa through an agent in Nepal.
Officials say the incident is part of a growing trend where individuals, primarily from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, attempt to migrate to Gulf countries and Europe using forged travel documents in search of better job prospects. In the past week alone, Sahar police have registered 14 FIRs against 18 individuals for similar offenses. Most of the accused were labourers seeking employment opportunities abroad.
Authorities recorded two such cases each on May 12 and 13, three on May 14, five on May 15, and one each on May 16 and 17. Some of those detained are also suspected to be involved in criminal activities, according to sources familiar with the investigations.
Source: Hindustan Times
