Man who went to US on a forged passport 18 yrs ago held on return

Man who went to US on a forged passport 18 yrs ago held on return

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:13.10.2020

A man who returned from the US to India after 18 years was booked for allegedly travelling abroad on a forged passport. Though he moved a Delhi court seeking protection from arrest, the court denied his plea stating “such incidents tarnish the image of India in general and of Indian citizens in particular, travelling abroad”.

Kirti Kumar Patel, 61, allegedly travelled to the US from Ahmedabad on someone else’s passport in 2002 and on his return to India recently, scrutiny of his documents didn’t show any previous travel history as his previous passport details were not available.

“Sustained interrogation of the applicant/accused is required to unearth the modus operandi of the crime,” remarked additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana in an order passed on October 9.

The man’s counsels, Jaitegan Singh Khurana and Uday Bedi, argued that he had been “falsely arraigned” as an accused in the present FIR.

On September 29, the IGI police station had registered an FIR under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and the relevant provision of The Passports Act, 1967 against the man. “Kirti Kumar Patel arrived from Chicago, USA by Air India and approached for arrival immigration clearance. During scrutiny of this travel document, it was observed that his last departure record was not found as his previous passport details were not available...It suggested that he might have departed from India using someone else’s passport. By doing so, he might have cheated Indian immigration,” stated the FIR.

Patel’s lawyers stated that there was nothing incriminating on record to suggest that he had committed an offence and he travelled on someone else’s passport or visa. They sought anticipatory bail on the ground that Patel was apprehending his arrest in the present case and suffered from diabetes and liver problems.

Additional public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed opposed the anticipatory bail plea arguing Patel had travelled abroad on forged documents and had been hiding the identity of travel agent for unearthing the conspiracy.

Judge Rana held, “Considering the nature and seriousness of allegations, I am not inclined to release the applicant/accused on anticipatory bail. Hence, his bail application stands rejected.”

JUDGE SAYS

Considering the nature and seriousness of allegations, I am not inclined to release the applicant/accused on anticipatory bail. Hence, his plea stands rejected