Guard in Dubai jailed for selling fake residency visas

Dubai - He forged 15 residency visas.

A guard, who duped a compatriot of Dh76,100 by selling him fake residency visas, was sentenced to six months in jail by a Dubai court.
Prosecutors accused the 33-year-old Pakistani guard of forging 15 residency visas, falsely attributing them to the Federal Authority of Identity and Naturalisation and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners' Affairs.
The Court of First Instance found the defendant guilty of fraud and forgery charges and ordered his deportation. It also ordered confiscation of the forged visas. The case dates back to and prior to October 29, 2018, and a complaint was lodged at Al Rashidiya police station.
The complainant told the prosecutor that he handed the defendant over Dh76,100 on different occasions to have employment visas issued for several individuals in Pakistan.
"My friend had given me his mobile number telling me that he could help in issuing the visas."
The complainant added that he paid the money over a span of five months and the defendant would send him the visas copies on WhatsApp.
He told the investigators that he had the voice conversations he had with the defendant about the visas and that his friend was present when he paid the accused the cash. "The people, for whom the visas were issued, found out later that they were fake. When I confronted the defendant about the matter, he told me that the visas would be corrected and then told me to go complain at the police station."
He recalled that out of 43 visas he requested, the defendant sent 15 visas. "He collected the money and documents but did not send all the visas. Part of the money was sent to a man in Pakistan too, as the accused requested," the complainant said.
A letter from the authorities said that the visas, subject of the dispute, were forged.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

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