Two Brothers Arrested with Counterfeit Air Tickets at Mumbai Airport
Two Brothers Arrested with Counterfeit Air Tickets at Mumbai Airport
The brothers used fake tickets to escort their sister, who was flying to Doha for the first time.
14th May 2024
Police arrested two young males, Faisal Balwa, aged 34, and Faijan Balwa, aged 27, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Sunday. The brothers used fake tickets to escort their sister, who was flying to Doha for the first time. CISF officers at the departure gate detained them due to suspicion, and after questioning, the police arrested them on charges of cheating and forgery.
As per the police report, Vijay Urav, a CISF officer stationed at Departure Gate Number 3 of CSMIA, encountered the two individuals around 3 pm on Sunday. The men claimed they intended to exit the airport premises. Despite possessing tickets indicating they were scheduled to fly from Mumbai to Doha via Vistara Airlines, they could not explain why they chose not to board the flight at the last minute. Additionally, they were unaccompanied by airline personnel, who typically assist passengers opting out of flights up to the departure gate.
An officer from Sahar police station mentioned, “The complainant found the situation suspicious and inquired with the staff of Vistara Airlines, who told him the tickets furnished by the duo were not present in their database. He then informed his seniors.” The CISF security in-charge, MK Mishra, arrived at the scene and interrogated the duo. Additionally, he consulted the deputy manager of Vistara Airlines, who verified that the men were not registered passengers on the flight to Doha, the officer further explained.
“When the men were interrogated about their motive behind entering the airport using forged tickets, they told the CISF officers that their sister Sunesara Maria Rashid was scheduled to fly to Doha (Qatar). Since she was taking a flight for the first time and had a lot of luggage, they wanted to make sure that she did not face any hassles. So, they used forged tickets to enter the airport via gate number four and drop her till the security clearance area,” said the police officer.
The police stated that the two individuals were charged under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document), as well as section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. They were subsequently arrested.
