In Ahmedabad, the Special Operations Group (SOG) has filed charges in a two-year-old case involving counterfeit passport stamps used in an attempt to travel to the UK. The case was registered after an FIR was filed at the airport police station, and authorities are now on the lookout for both the traveler and his agent.
On October 15, 2024, immigration officers intercepted Narendrasinh Vaghela, a resident of Dingucha, as he attempted to board a Dubai-London flight. The officers noticed suspicious stamps on his passport indicating Istanbul immigration clearance and Mumbai departure, both dated February 14, which led to further investigation.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that Vaghela had actually traveled to Istanbul on February 5 but was denied an on-arrival visa due to his beard. Turkish authorities had sent him back to India on February 6, confirming that the passport stamps were forged.
After the immigration department alerted the SOG, further inquiries revealed that Vaghela possessed three passports, all of which bore counterfeit stamps.
During questioning, Vaghela admitted that his aim was to reach London via Istanbul. After being denied a visa and returned to India, his agent, Alpesh alias Abhishek Patel, created a forged February 14 stamp to falsely indicate an approved Turkish visa. The authorities are now searching for both Vaghela and Patel.