Fake passport uncovers forgery ring linked to Iran

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A man slipped back into Bahrain on a fake passport during the Syria evacuation, only for the forgery to fall apart under scrutiny. Prosecutors say the case has exposed a forged-passport operation with ties to Iran.

The second defendant, who has not been named, returned as part of a humanitarian evacuation.

But when he approached Bahrain’s embassy in Damascus to renew his passport, something was off.

Validity

The document had expired, and the stamps meant to extend its validity were not only out of date but issued in the wrong place.

A passport officer at the embassy grew suspicious. The stamps, he later told investigators, had not been used since July of the previous year.

They were the sort of stamps that could only be issued inside Bahrain, and only in rare cases. Renewal by stamp had been phased out altogether months earlier.

Larger scheme

That small detail led to the discovery of a much larger scheme.

Under questioning, the second defendant admitted he had given his passport to another man while in Iran.

That man, the first defendant, is accused of running a quiet trade in forged Bahraini travel documents for people trying to avoid prison or court orders.

The fake passports carried stamps, seals and signatures copied from those used by the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs.

First defendant

The Public Prosecution says the first defendant, with help from another person who has not yet been identified, created the forged passport and passed it back to the second man.

The second defendant is accused of knowingly taking part in the arrangement, handing over his passport and personal details, and later submitting the altered document as if it were legitimate.