Mumbai: Passport forgery cases handled by Sahar Police have fallen sharply after officers arrested 20 agents allegedly involved in arranging passports using forged documents for people seeking opportunities abroad.
The agents, arrested between March 2025 and February 2026, were from Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Police said they allegedly provided fraudulently obtained passports to Indian, Bangladeshi and Afghan nationals.
Cases fall sharply in 2026
Sahar Police registered just 37 passport forgery cases during the first seven months of 2026. This compares with 376 cases between January and June 2025 and another 220 between July and December that year.
Police believe naming and pursuing agents in FIRs has acted as a deterrent. However, officials also cautioned that some agents may have shifted their operations to other airports.
Passport forgery has accounted for 1,459 of the 4,229 crime FIRs registered by Sahar Police between 2022 and August 10, 2026.
Mangaluru woman’s ordeal exposes human cost
The report also highlighted the case of a financially distressed Mangaluru woman who was promised overseas employment in 2005. She borrowed money, pledged jewellery and paid ₹50,000 to an agent before being sent to Canada on a fake passport.
After she was caught, the agent allegedly disappeared. She eventually spent 13 years in Canada before being deported.
Police said some agents demand enormous sums for fake travel documents and overseas placement. Officials continue efforts to trace middlemen involved in such networks.
The cases underline the risks faced by jobseekers who, hoping for a better future abroad, can lose their savings and property and also face serious legal consequences after falling prey to fraudulent agents.