South African authorities have detained nine Bangladeshi nationals for trying to enter the country using forged travel documents and visas. The country’s Border Management Authority (BMA) detained them on Thursday, local time, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa.
South African news outlet IOL News reported that BMA officials said they stopped the travelers after detecting discrepancies in their documents. A subsequent check found that all nine were carrying forged South African visas. The visas had been shown as issued by the South African High Commission in New Delhi, India.
After the incident, the nine were not allowed to enter South Africa. The authority said necessary steps had also been taken to send them back to Bangladesh.
BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi said in a statement that three of the nine detained were women. They were traveling on ordinary Bangladeshi passports. The six men first presented forged Indian passports. But during further questioning and document checks, the six also produced their Bangladeshi passports.
The BMA said an investigation was under way to identify the source of the forged documents. It was also examining whether the case had any link to an international crime ring. Authorities said the incident had raised fresh concern over border security and the possible activities of an international document-forgery network. More detailed information could emerge once the investigation is complete.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report