Surat man held at Ahmedabad airport on return from Germany on forged Indian passport

A 24-year-old man from Surat was detained by immigration officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) in Ahmedabad after he arrived from Germany using a forged Indian passport. The man, identified as Prakash Dave, had allegedly travelled to Europe on the fake passport and later declared it lost at the Indian embassy in Germany in order to obtain an emergency certificate to return home.

Airport police have now arrested the youth and registered a case against him and two agents believed to be involved in the passport forgery racket.

According to officials, the incident came to light when Dave landed at Ahmedabad airport on a Qatar Airways flight from Berlin via Doha. During the routine immigration screening, officers found discrepancies in his documents, which appeared suspicious. On further interrogation, Dave revealed he was a resident of Surat and had paid ₹15 lakh to an agent named Dishu to facilitate his travel to Europe using a forged Indian passport under the name Rakesh Harish Joshi.

Police said the fake passport was arranged through another agent named Mahesh, who allegedly created the counterfeit document. After entering Germany on this passport, Dave reported it lost to the Indian embassy there and secured an Indian Emergency Certificate, a temporary travel document issued to facilitate return to India.

However, his travel records did not match any official departure data from India, which raised a red flag with the immigration team. Upon verification, his real identity and the fraudulent nature of the passport were uncovered.

Pramodbhai, an airport staffer stationed at the immigration counter, informed the Airport police, who then took Dave into custody. Based on his statement, police have registered an FIR against Prakash Dave, agent Dishu, and agent Mahesh under sections related to forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.

Airport police have begun a detailed investigation to trace the network involved in creating and supplying forged travel documents, which officials believe could be linked to a larger passport racket targeting Europe-bound travellers.

Further probe is underway.