Ahmedabad: Gujarat University police on Saturday booked a 42-year-old man from Surat for obtaining Portuguese identity and an Indian visa using falsified documents. This action followed a complaint filed by an officer of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Ahmedabad.
The accused, who initially identified himself as Ashwin Dhiru, a citizen of Portugal, was later revealed to be Nimesh Dhiru Sorathi from Surat, Gujarat. According to immigration officer and complainant Ishita Thakkar, the accused submitted an online visa application through the E-FRRO portal on Jan 8, 2025.
In his application, he claimed Portuguese citizenship and presented a Portuguese passport issued on July 23, 2024. Additionally, he provided details of his cancelled Indian passport, which was issued in Mumbai. Upon review, officials summoned the applicant for biometric verification and document scrutiny on Jan 31, 2025.
During questioning, inconsistencies emerged in his identity, leading senior officer Mahesh Rasane to investigate further. When pressed, the accused admitted that his real name was Nimesh Dhiru Sorathi and that he previously attempted to obtain Portuguese citizenship using his legitimate Indian identity.
When unsuccessful, he allegedly altered his name, address, and date of birth to secure a new Indian passport from the Mumbai Regional Passport Office on Oct 22, 2018. The accused then used this fraudulent passport to apply for an Indian visa. However, his deception was exposed due to discrepancies in the submitted documents. Following an internal review, FRRO authorities lodged an official complaint against Sorathi under charges of cheating and forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Passport Act.