According to reports, the student had allegedly removed the pages from her passport to hide a trip she took to Thailand earlier this year, between February 11 and 14.
A 25-year-old student, SS Ghatol, was detained last Thursday at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after immigration officials discovered four missing pages in her passport. Ghatol, a first-year fashion merchandising student, was attempting to board a flight to Singapore for an internship sponsored by her Worli-based institute when the irregularity was detected during routine checks.
The missing pages raised immediate suspicion, leading to an investigation that revealed Ghatol had allegedly removed them to hide a trip she took to Thailand earlier this year, from February 11 to 14. The unauthorized trip was concealed from her institute by faking an illness to secure an exam exemption during that period.
Assistant Immigration Officer Sujit Patil explained that Ghatol’s fear of being caught in her dishonesty prompted her to tamper with her passport. The student’s actions have now led to serious legal consequences, as she faces charges of cheating and violations under the Passport Act.
This incident is not the first of its kind. A few months ago, a 24-year-old man was detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after impersonating a senior citizen to travel to Canada. The man, identified as Guru Sewak Singh, dyed his hair and beard white and presented a passport under the name Rashvindar Singh Sahota, claiming to be 67 years old.
Both cases highlight the lengths to which some individuals will go to deceive authorities, ultimately leading to severe repercussions.
