Pakistani man arrested over forging passports, visa stamps in Bangkok
A Pakistani man has been arrested in Bangkok on charges of making and selling forged passports and Thailand visa stamps to various client groups, including supporters of the terrorist organisation ISIS.
Mohamed Ikbal was arrested at his condominium room on Kalapapruek road in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district on January 14, said Immigration Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt-General Sutthipong Wongpin at a press confererence on Friday morning.
Sutthipong said the bureau had learned that Ikbal was about to deliver passports to his clients, so they staked out the condominium entrance and arrested him as he left the building.
Police found one fake Indian passport and three fake Singapore passports on him. The passports also had fake Canadian visa stamps on their pages.
Ikbal admitted that he made the passports to sell for about Bt7,000 to Bt8,000 each, said Sutthipong.
Police searched his room and found a computer, a printer, and other tools for forging passports.
Sutthipong alleged that Ikbal has been making and selling forged passports to various groups for over 10 years. Thai and international security groups have been monitoring him for six months.
Sutthipong said Ikbal made the fake passports from scratch, instead of altering real ones. He is an expert in making French and Italian passports, said Suttipong.
Ikbal received orders via email from multiple client groups, including ISIS supporters, Sutthipong added.