Gujarat-to-UK fake passport ring busted by Mumbai cops

A racket involving sending people from Gujarat to the United Kingdom on fake passports was busted by Mumbai Crime Branch after a couple was detained at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in February 26, said an official on Friday. The couple was going to the United Arab Emirates, he said.

"Their passports were fake. An offense was registered with Sahar police station and Unit VII of the Crime Branch began parallel probe. The probe revealed that the man's real name was Hitesh Patel and the woman's Mitaben Patel," he said. "They were told by the accused that getting a visa for England would be tough because of the Patel surname, so they got fake passports made. The two were charged Rs 15 lakh per passport. Three members of the gang, Manish Ghogri (36), Amit Agrawal (41) and Bhavesh Shah (40), have been arrested," the official said.

Police recovered 14 passports, 11 PAN cards and other documents from the three, who confessed during questioning to having sent 15 people from Gujarat to UK using this modus operandi, the official said.