Schengen Visa Scam: Nepali Held at Mumbai Airport

A 40-year-old Nepali citizen, Vipin Mahendra Basnet, was apprehended at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on May 2 while attempting to travel to Rome using a fraudulently obtained Indian passport.

Basnet, who had been residing illegally in India for four decades, was intercepted during a routine immigration check before boarding an IndiGo flight to Doha, with plans to continue to Rome for employment in the maritime sector. An immigration officer grew suspicious due to Basnet's frequent travel to Nepal and his surname, which is common among Nepali nationals. Upon investigation, authorities discovered images on his mobile phone of Nepali citizenship documents belonging to him and his father, as well as his Nepali marriage certificate and his daughter's birth certificate.

Basnet had acquired the Indian passport in 2005 using a fabricated birth certificate and had renewed it twice. Since 2024, he had been working as a seaman and was now attempting to travel to Rome for similar employment. He currently resides in Kandivali East, Mumbai.

Legal Actions:

Basnet has been booked under Section 12 of the Passport Act and Sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(2), 336(3) (forgery), and 340(2) (use of forged documents or electronic records as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigations are underway to determine the extent of his illegal stay and activities in India.

Broader Context:

This incident is part of a growing trend of Nepali nationals attempting to use forged Indian documents to travel abroad. In recent months, several Nepali citizens have been detained at Indian airports for similar offenses, including attempts to travel to countries like Vietnam, Singapore, and Azerbaijan using fake Indian passports.

Authorities are intensifying efforts to crack down on such fraudulent activities, emphasizing the importance of stringent document verification processes at immigration checkpoints.