950820

123 fake

Dubai visas

detected

in July

DUBAI: The number of fake visas in the last few months had risen significantly, especially for Indian, Pakistani and Bangladesh passport holders.

"Our laboratory had registered 123 fake visa cases in the month of July alone, 94 of which involved passports that were partially counterfeited by replacing the picture of the passport holder with that of another person", counterfeit expert and a specialist in the forensic laboratory of Dubai Police Akeil al Najjar said here.

"Our department received in this period 347 faked visa cases an increase of 26 cases over the last six months of last year, he said, adding that the number of fake visa cases had risen every month since the start of this year.

The General Department of Dubai police seized counterfeit transit visas signed by inviduals posing as officials from Dubai Immigration Department. Najjar said his department had received several of these transit visas.

He said, professional counterfeiters have forged the signatures of some officials of the Dubai Immigration Department but luckily, the 'matter came to our attention after police noticed an alarming surge in the issuance of transit visas to Dubai and other emirates'.-PPI