In a bizarre incident, a 51-year-old man from Pune was intercepted by immigration authorities at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday for allegedly tearing pages from a passport to hide a Bangkok trip from his wife and family, reported Times of India.
According to the report, the man allegedly tore the pages of his passport at Mumbai International Airport after he returned from a weeklong holiday in Indonesia.
The report, quoting Sahar police’s probe, said the man allegedly conducted the action to hide evidence from the family of his four trips to Bangkok in 2024.
The man, identified as V K Bhalerao, has been booked by the Sahar Police under BNS Section 318 (4) (deceiving a person, or fraudulently or dishonesty including a person to deliver property.)
Arrested during a routine check:
Bhalerao was arrested during a routine check after immigration officials discovered that pages were missing from his passport.
“The official found that pages 17/18 and 21-26 were missing,” TOI quoted a Sahar police officer as saying. Adding more, Assistant Immigration Officer Rajiv Kumar said in his police complaint that the pages bore the immigration stamps for the Thailand trips.
Initially, Bhalerao refused to divulge the reason for tampering with the passport, which led to the accused being questioned by Wing Incharge Vilas Vadnere and Duty Officer.
“Sustained questioning helped the immigration officials learn the truth that he tore the pages out to hide his Bangkok trips from family,” TOI quoted Rajiv Kumar as saying.
Similar case:
Earlier in August 2024, a first-year student was booked for allegedly tearing four pages from her passport to conceal her earlier trip to Thailand, reported FPJ. She had taken this trip from February 11 to 14.
Passports Act, 1967:
Under the Passports Act, 1967, a person who tampers with passport pages is guilty of a serious offence. Any modification or attempted alteration of a passport, whether done personally or through someone else, without proper authorisation, is punishable.
A violator may face up to two years in jail, a fine of ₹5,000, or both as punishment.
About The Author
