Mumbai: Senior citizen arrested for making fake visas in his flat

Usman Shaikh. Pic/Hanif Patel

The Palghar police have arrested a senior citizen allegedly involved in making fake visas at his flat in Nalasopara West. The accused has been identified as Usman Shaikh, 64, who was arrested in 2006 by the Nalasopara police for making fake passports.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Vasai division, Vijaykant Sagar, said, "We have seized a high-end scanning machine, printer, toner and ink pot from his possession. Besides this, we have also seized the paper roll he used for making the fake visas. There are some pieces of papers on which Republic of China and United Arab Emirates have been written."

When asked about Shaikh's modus operandi and if he was making fake visas at the behest of someone, Sagar said, "At present, our investigation is at the nascent stage. We are probing if the accused approached victims or vice-versa."

Shaikh could be a member of a larger gang, said an officer. At present the investigators are decoding the language on the paper found in his flat. "The agencies and embassies concerned have been alerted," said an officer privy to the investigation.

An officer attached to Nalasopara police station said, "Shaikh's brother, who is now deceased, had been arrested by the Gujarat police for making fake visas." Shaikh's family lives in Thane and his children often visit him in Nalasopara, said the police. Shaikh has been arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

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