ATS Arrests Afghan Nationals in Jabalpur for Passport Fraud

Arrests Made in Jabalpur Passport Fraud Case

In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has apprehended an Afghan national and two accomplices for allegedly obtaining Indian passports using forged documents. This information was disclosed in a statement released on Friday.

According to the statement, authorities received a tip-off regarding the presence of Afghan individuals living illegally in Jabalpur, prompting the arrest of a man named Sohbat Khan.

The police reported that Sohbat had been residing illegally in Jabalpur for nearly a decade and had even married a local woman.

Furthermore, the accused not only secured his Indian passport through fraudulent means but also prepared documents for his Afghan associates residing in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, using a fake address in Jabalpur, for a fee.

The ATS has identified approximately 20 Afghan individuals who attempted to obtain passports using Jabalpur addresses.

Sohbat Khan is currently in custody, and authorities are conducting thorough interrogations to uncover other individuals involved in this illegal operation.

The police are also working to identify those who assisted in creating fake documents, those who facilitated police verifications, and those who helped obtain passports with false addresses.

In addition to Sohbat, two other suspects have been arrested: Dinesh Garg from Vijayanagar in Jabalpur and Mahendra Kumar Sukhadan from Katanga.

According to police, Dinesh Garg is a forest guard and has been working in the election department of the collector's office for the past two years. The statement revealed that Sohbat Khan obtained a driving license from Jabalpur in 2015 and acquired an Indian passport in 2020.

Authorities have uncovered transactions amounting to approximately 10 lakh rupees related to the issuance of these Indian passports.