Man tears passport pages to hide trip from wife, arrested
A 32-year-old Pune man was recently arrested for reportedly tearing out entries from his passport to hide a foreign trip from his wife. The police stated on Saturday that he wanted to conceal his extramarital affair but was completely unaware that meddling with a passport was a crime. As per authorities, the man recently traveled to a foreign country to meet his girlfriend.
Immigrant authorities noticed missing passport pages at Mumbai
When the man returned on Thursday night to India, some sections and pages of his passport were missing, as ascertained by the immigration authorities at the Mumbai International Airport. When he was interrogated by the police, the man reportedly claimed that after lying to his wife about his trip—that he was traveling for work purposes in India—he had left to meet his girlfriend abroad.
Wife became suspicious, forcing him to tamper with passport
To prevent his wife from finding out where he was, the man didn't answer her calls even as she grew suspicious of him. Later, he considered removing his passport's entry pages so that she wouldn't know about his trip. A police official confirmed he was arrested under relevant Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections, including forgery and cheating, and added that an investigation was ongoing.
What is the punishment for the crime?
According to Section 12(1A)(b) of the Passports Act, it is illegal to use a forged passport. The punishment may include imprisonment for a period not less than one year and up to five years, a fine, or both. The minimum fine, on the other hand, is Rs. 10,000, but it can go up to Rs. 50,000 depending on the case.
