New Delhi: A youth hailing from Mehsana in north Gujarat, who had entered the United States illegally, was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) after allegedly returning to India using a forged passport issued in another person’s name, amid a crackdown by US authorities on undocumented immigrants.

The 30-year-old accused, Jigar Patel, a resident of Gayatri Society in Mehsana, arrived at IGIA’s Terminal 3 as a deportee on Air India flight AI 126 around 12.30 pm. A complaint was lodged on December 19 after immigration officials detected discrepancies in his travel documents.

According to the FIR, Patel had travelled to the US in April 2013 on an Indian passport that expired in June 2022. For his return, he allegedly used a passport issued in New York in 2019 in the name of Khurshed Ansari of Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, which had been reported lost.

Immigration officials found that the passport did not meet Indian security standards and was declared fake. During questioning, Patel allegedly said he procured the forged document through an Ahmedabad-based agent.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Passport Act. The forged passport, passenger records and CCTV footage have been seized, and further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat