9 sent back after paying Dh30,000 for visas

A Pakistani allegedly forged eight work visas for Pakistani Rs690,000 (about Dh30,000) and asked his compatriots to return from the airport in their home country claiming the visas needed amendments, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

NAF, 24, employee and a resident of Sharjah, got to know Atef Shehrazad Khan, 30, who lives in Pakistan via an online chat. They soon became friends. NAF visited Khan in his village in Pakistan in early December 2010 and claimed that he worked as a labour supplier in the UAE.

“He suggested if any of my relatives or friends were interested to work in the UAE and he could arrange their visas for Dh60,000,” testified Khan.

“On December 12, 2010, I handed NAF Pakistani Rs60,000; photocopies of nine passports and pictures of the nine interested people to him and he left for the UAE saying he would return to Pakistan in two weeks. As promised he returned and handed over eight visas and said the ninth one is under process," the victim testified.

He said the remaining amount should be given to him once they land in the UAE.

“On January 6, I came to the UAE on a tourist visa for sightseeing and on January 15 I handed NAF the remaining amount and told him that all visa holders will arrive in the UAE the following day. But the next day NAF told me that there were problems in the visas and asked me to call them. They were in the airport in Pakistan. I called them and informed them about the situation. Two insisted to come, so NAF issued them tourist visas against Dh1,000 each he paid from his pocket. I suspected the whole matter as NAF started procrastinating and called the number mentioned of the sponsor on the visas. The sponsor was NAF himself!..I knew I was duped. I informed the police," Khan testified.

Police investigations revealed that NAF sells forged visas. So the cops laid a trap to arrest him and sent an Indian undercover agent. He asked NAF for a visa for a relative of his Pakistani friend. NAF said he would charge Dh1,500. He agreed and handed him a photocopy of his passport and a picture. NAF asked the ‘buyer’ to meet him at 5pm in Naif area on March 9.

As the ‘buyer’ handed NAF the money, police arrested NAF. He initially denied accusations but later admitted when confronted with proof. He confessed that  someone called Wasim was the one who forged the visas and saved them online. His role was to sell them. Police confiscated his computer and found out a number of documents used for forgiong visas.

He is also accused of forging eight other visas.

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