Pilibhit: A Sri Lankan woman and her Indian husband were arrested in Puranpur Kotwali on Thursday for allegedly using forged documents to obtain Indian passport, police said.
The woman, Surani Sri Vantika, 26, came to India on a three-month tourist visa in March 2019 to marry Mohammad Imran, 28, from Sherpur Kalan village. They married in court in June 2019, after which Vantika changed her name to Zainab Begam. Once her tourist visa expired, the couple allegedly conspired with the village head and his representative Najeeb Khan, 30, to conceal her foreign citizenship.
The couple had met while they worked at a garment factory in Jordan. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Circle officer Vidhi Bhushan Maurya said, “The accused fabricated local residency documents to obtain an Aadhaar card , which they then used to apply for an Indian passport in July 2021. Stay updated with the latest Bareilly news.
SHO Pawan Pandey said Imran, Vantika and Khan have all been taken into custody, and an FIR has also been filed against the village head and unnamed accomplices under BNS sections related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. The accused also face charges under Passport Act and Immigration and Foreigners Act, he said. Download the TOI App.