Government of India is getting serious about fake travel documents. India’s Ministry of Home Affairs released a statement regarding new steps being taken by the government to check persons traveling on fake and/or forged documents. Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi from January through November of 2011, registered 131 fake visa cards. This news comes on the heals of a recent article in Times of India reporting on travelers leaving the country with fake passports and visas.
The new security steps include:
-Use of magnifying glasses and Ultra Violet lamps at all International Airports for scrutinizing the features of the travel documents;
-Issuance of machine-readable passports and visas with improved security features;
-Installation of Questionable Document Examiner (QDX) for verifying the genuineness of the passports;
-Installation of Immigration Control System (ICS) software which verifies the passport details of passengers to prevent impersonation;
-Particulars of Passports issued by the RPOs and visas issued by some Indian Missions abroad, are made available to Immigration officers for cross checking;
-Special training to Immigration Officers at airports on a regular basis to detect forged/fake travel documents.
The press release further states, “Prompt action is taken for conducting enquiry as and when such cases of fake visas are detected. After the enquiry, criminal cases are registered against the accused. Accused persons involved in preparing such forged/fake documents are apprehended by the local police authorities and appropriate action is taken against them as per law”.
