Police bust gang forging passports

Sharjah: An Indian gang which specialised in forging passports were busted by police yesterday aftr they were caught in the middle of the transaction.

Sharjah Police said they received a tip-off that a suspect was selling forged passports for Dh3,000.

In cooperation with the Criminal Investigation Department, police managed to arrest the suspect while he was selling a forged passport.

Pirated DVDs

During the interrogation the suspect, A.A.K, confessed to working with two other accomplices, who were identified as B.A.Q and M.K.A. The gang, all of Indian origin, arrived to the country on visit visas and shortly afterwards started producing forged passports and pirated DVDs in their residence at Al Nabba'a district.

More than 850 pirated DVD movies and numerous photographs were confiscated when police raided the gang's residence, including three DVD copiers, printers, scanners and passports.

An official at Sharjah Police said that the gang used to make the forged passports by cutting out the picture of the passport holder, and then replacing it with the picture of another person, in addition to changing the passport's information. The case has been referred to the Sharjah Public Prosecution.