Fake Passport Racket Busted

[george]

Fake passport racket busted

BANGKOK: -- Police have arrested a man from Bangladesh who made hundreds of fake Western and Asian passports _ their largest counterfeit documents bust in five years.

A team from the Special Operations Police (SOP) raided the house of Mohammed Karim, 56, in Bang Kae district on Saturday.

They found a sophisticated passport-making operation and more than 1,000 finished and unfinished documents, fake visa seals and two computers in one of the largest operations of its kind ever, SOP chief Chaktip Chaichinda said yesterday.

The seized items included 577 fake passports, 680 illegal visa stamps and more than 1,600 counterfeit documents used to make fake US passports.

The Bangladeshi admitted to police that he and his partner, a Burmese man identified as Tin Oo, rented the house in Phetkasem 62 and turned it into a factory for fake passports.

They sold the passports, mostly US, French, Spanish, Belgian and Maltese, to a group of Thai and Burmese middlemen who then sold them to gangs engaged in prostitution, terrorism and smuggling, Pol Maj-Gen Chaktip said.

Customers were charged between 3,000 and 10,000 baht each for the passports.

His partner is still at large, but police say they hope to arrest him soon.

If convicted, he and his friend could face up to 20 years in jail.

''This guy is rich. He has a BMW. He said he made about 300,000 to 400,000 baht per month,'' Pol Maj-Gen Chaktip said.

-- Reuters/Bangkok Post 2008-04-28

[Scott]

Wow, this guy is doing well. I guess I am in the wrong business! Oh well, at least I won't be in the Big House!

[grantbkk]

"He's rich"!

If the SOP's want any more forgers try asking around Sukhumvit Soi 3/1. Don't start too early they usually work late so they sleep in.

[sriracha john]

Fake passport racket busted

BANGKOK: -- Police have arrested a man from Bangladesh who made hundreds of fake Western and Asian passports _ their largest counterfeit documents bust in five years.

A team from the Special Operations Police (SOP) raided the house of Mohammed Karim, 56, in Bang Kae district on Saturday.

They found a sophisticated passport-making operation and more than 1,000 finished and unfinished documents, fake visa seals and two computers in one of the largest operations of its kind ever, SOP chief Chaktip Chaichinda said yesterday.

Bangkok Post 2008-04-28

From today's Postbag comes an Embassy denial:

Not a Bangladeshi

The attention of the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok has been drawn to a news item on the front page of the Bangkok Post on April 28, 2008 headlined "Fake passport racket busted." It tells of the arrest of one Mohammed Karim, identified as a citizen of Bangladesh. This is erroneous, since Mohammad Karim's passport was seized by the Bangladesh Embassy back in September 2006, following his admission that he was not a Bangladeshi. After his arrest by Thai police on April 30, 2008 Karim was interviewed by the Embassy's consular staff at the detention centre, during which he confessed he was not a Bangladeshi. The Embassy therefore wishes to categorically state that Mohammad Karim is not a Bangladesh national. Karim, alias Kamal, is locally known as "Ghutnu Kamal." He has residences in Mae Sot and Bangkok. His Thai wife lives in Mae Sot with their 14-year-old son. Members of the Bangladeshi community in Thailand have expressed their concern and have asked the Embassy to declare in the Thai media that Mohammad Karim is not a Bangladeshi. We hope this helps end the confusion about the nationality of the arrested individual.

PABAN CHOWDHURY

Counsellor, Embassy of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangkok

Edited May 14, 2008 by sriracha john

[TAWP]

So what is he? Stateless so he cannot be deported?