Piyal Chatterjee
Immigration authorities at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) have apprehended a Nepali woman who was allegedly attempting to travel to Muscat, Oman, using a fraudulently obtained Indian passport. The arrest highlights the persistent challenge of identity fraud at major travel hubs and follows a keen-eyed observation by airport security personnel.
The woman, who presented herself as Kajal, approached the immigration counter to board an international flight. Her Indian passport claimed her birthplace was Nohra in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. However, immigration officers grew suspicious after noting that her facial features appeared distinctly inconsistent with the details provided on the document. The discrepancy prompted a directive for secondary verification, leading to a swift breakdown of her cover story.
During questioning by officials from the Sahar police station, the woman confessed to her true identity, revealing her name as Kajal Lama and confirming her origin as the Parsa district of Nepal. She detailed a systematic process of deception involving years of preparation. Lama stated that her parents’ migration to Himachal Pradesh had created an opportunity for her to establish a false paper trail.
Using a fictitious residential address in Himachal Pradesh, Lama fraudulently secured vital Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card, a PAN card, and a bona fide certificate. These fabricated documents subsequently allowed her to successfully procure an Indian passport from the Shimla Passport Office.
The arrest has led to criminal charges being filed against Lama, including forgery, providing false information to officials, and attempting to travel abroad illegally. Police are now investigating the wider network, if any, that facilitated the procurement of the initial fraudulent identity documents, which paved the way for the issuance of a legitimate-looking Indian passport. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the rigorous scrutiny applied by immigration teams to safeguard national borders and the integrity of travel documentation.
