Valsad: The city police have nabbed four individuals in connection with a scam involving the production of Indian passports using fake names and fraudulent documentary evidence to obtain Portuguese passports.

The accused individuals allegedly obtained Indian passports with counterfeit documentary evidence, using the names of relatives of Daman residents born before 1961, with the intention of acquiring Portuguese passports. So far, the police have seized 10 counterfeit passports as part of this scam. There is suspicion of the involvement of government officials in assisting the accused individuals in obtaining fake documents for this scam.

The Valsad police initially detained Mohammad Sohil Sarfuddin Shaikh (aged 37, residing in Valsad) after discovering an Indian passport and birth certificate in his possession, stored in a transparent plastic file. His passport was issued under the name ‘Sohil Imran Shaikh’ and was obtained with the help of Sakib Makshudbhai Kaniyat, a resident of Valsad who operates Paradise Passport Services. A case has been registered against him under Section 12(1) A, B of the Passport Act 1967 at Valsad town police. The police have seized his mobile phone, Aadhar card, PAN card, and driver’s license for further investigation.

The mastermind of the scam, Mohammad Sakib, also known as Tom Maksud, was nabbed by the police on September 11, 2023. He admitted to issuing fake Indian passports to more than 10 individuals using counterfeit information and documents to acquire Portuguese passports. The police confiscated three counterfeit passports from him, and he was subsequently remanded in police custody for 8 days after being presented in court.

The police also nabbed a holder of a fake passport, Ashiyabibi Moin Shaikh (aged 37, residing in Atgam-Valsad), who possessed a passport with the fictitious name ‘Ayeshabibi Kasmubai (Daman)’. Another individual named Burhan Suleman Tailor, who held a passport under the name ‘Burhan Imran Shaikh’, was nabbed on September 19. DeshGujarat