He walked through Indira Gandhi International Airport like a regular traveller. But the document in his hand was a lie. It was a carefully forged passport. The immigration officials realised in a split second that something was off.
Jigar Patel, 30, from Mehsana, had returned from the US carrying a false identity. It was one that would unravel the moment officials glanced at the details.
FIR records reveal Patel had left India in 2013 on an Indian passport that expired in 2022.
He reportedly used a New York-issued passport from 2019 in the name of Khurshed Ansari of Kushinagar to come back home.
Immigration officials quickly noticed the discrepancies. The passport had a manual laser perforation, a defective ghost image, missing UV fibres, and an invisible national emblem watermark.
The passport was declared fake.
During interrogation, Patel reportedly admitted he had obtained the forged passport through an agent named Rocky from Ahmedabad.
Police said this amounted to cheating Indian immigration authorities and forgery of official documents.
A case was registered under sections covering cheating, forgery, producing forged documents as genuine, and criminal conspiracy of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alongside provisions of the Passport Act. The fake passport, passenger logs, and CCTV footage were seized, and further investigation was taken over by IGI Airport police.
An official who didn’t want to be named told a national daily that the case said that with US authorities cracking down, several undocumented Indians, particularly from Gujarat, are attempting self-deportation. Entry into the US is difficult, but exiting has become increasingly complex, prompting some to use illegal shortcuts such as borrowed or duplicate passports.
Somehow, Mehsana has become a shadowy hub for immigration fraud.
A 65-year-old resident, who entered the US illegally in 2009, was arrested when he returned via Delhi on July 7. He was accused of cheating the Indian immigration system.
In another case, a woman from Sabarkantha filed a complaint with Prantij police. Her husband went missing in February, nearly a month after being sent to the US. The trip was arranged through the Netherlands and the Caribbean by an agent named Divyesh, also known as Johny Patel, a resident of Mehsana.
Last year, a couple from Mehsana reported falling victim to a visa fraud scheme. Agents promised help with US immigration. The couple paid a substantial sum but received no genuine assistance. They were misled throughout the process.
These incidents reveal a disturbing pattern. Illegal migration and fraudulent agents are entwined with the hopes of those seeking a life abroad. Mehsana’s name looms largely over a web of deception.
Also Read: Self-Deportation From US Proves Costly For 40-Year-Old Gujarat Man https://www.vibesofindia.com/self-deportation-from-us-proves-costly-for-40-year-old-gujarat-man/
