The Surat city police have registered a case against one Nimesh Sorthi from Surat, who allegedly applied for a Portuguese passport using a fake Indian name and address. Sorthi had submitted an online application for Portuguese citizenship through the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Ahmedabad.
Police sources said FRRO received an online application for Portuguese citizenship from one Ashwin Dhiru. The application was submitted along with Dhiru’s Indian passport. The citizenship was being sought based on the Indian Passport. However, upon verification, it was found that the passport that was submitted with the application was fake and Dhiru was Nimesh Sorthi from Surat. Officials found that the fake passport had a false name, address, and date of birth as well.
It was later revealed that Sorthi had previously applied for Portuguese citizenship but the same was rejected. Sorthi then re-applied using a different name (Dhiru) and address this time from Mumbai. However, because Sorthi had listed an address in Surat, the application was sent to the FRRO office in Ahmedabad for further verification.
Gujarat University Police have registered a case against Sorthi and have launched a probe based on a complaint forwarded by the FRRO. “We are probing if the accused had enlisted the help of an agent and how he obtained the fake passport,” said a senior police official.
Ishita Thakkar, an immigration officer at the FRRO in HUDCO Bhawan, played a key role in uncovering the scam. Thakkar is responsible for verifying visa applications and issuing permits. On January 8, she received an application and druing verification uncovered the scam.