Forged passport: 75-year-old European Interpol fugitive gets 3-yr jail after getting caught red-handed at Bahrain airport

A 75-year-old European man has been sentenced to three years in prison by the High Criminal Court for attempting to enter Bahrain using a forged passport. The incident occurred on March 22, 2024, when the defendant presented a fake passport, purportedly issued by a European country, to passport control at Bahrain International Airport.

The defendant, who initially denied the charges, was found guilty after a thorough investigation. The Public Prosecution charged him with using a forged electronic document, specifically a passport, in an attempt to enter the country.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the defendant had entered incorrect data into a government system belonging to the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, with the intention of using the false data for entry. He then presented the forged passport to the passport officer, who accepted it unaware of its fraudulent nature.

Further investigation confirmed the passport's forgery through a report from the General Directorate of Crime Investigation and Forensic Evidence, as well as verification from the European embassy. The passport was also flagged in several local and international databases, including Schengen Interpol, as having been reported lost by its rightful owner.

Interpol in the European country confirmed that the passport was not authentic and that the defendant was wanted by the organisation for various fraud charges.