Ahmedabad: Airport Police in the city have held an Indian citizen who used his fake identity as Dahid Remedio Alexio Crasto and managed to have a Portuguese passport to get India visa. The accused arrived in India on 21st December 2021 and returned back to Portugal. On 21st October 2022, he arrived at SVPI airport here on an AI-172 flight and was caught during the immigration process.

According to police, Hardik Vishubhai Patel (32) was born in Umreth in Gujarat. He went to the U.K. on a student visa in 2009 with an Indian passport. When his visa period ended, he applied for PR (Permanent Residency) however his application for PR was rejected. Late in 2019, he got another passport based on his old passport in 2019. He submitted that passport to the London-based immigration department office for another attempt to get a visa. However, his visa extension application was rejected again. In 2020 he met a person namely Ravi in a pub in London through who he contacted an agent who managed a Portugal passport for him for 35,000 pounds. Patel managed to have a Portugal passport through the Portugal embassy in London with a new identity of Crasto Dahlin Remdio Alexio. Through Portugal, passport Patel arrived in India in 2021 with an e-visa as a tourist and returned on 21 December 2021. On 21st October 2022, he arrived on an e-visa to India as a tourist again but was caught when inquired in depth by immigration staff.

Airport police have booked the accused Patel under IPC sections 465, 471, 419, 114 and the Passport (Entry into India) rules 1950 – section 3 and 6. DeshGujarat