Bangladeshi Woman Held At Mumbai Airport For Using Forged Passport & Staying Illegally For 33 Years In India

Mumbai: Maria Khatun Mohammad Mansoor Ali, a Bangladeshi national who had been living in India illegally for 33 years, was arrested at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, as per reports on Wednesday. Authorities found she had used forged documents to obtain an Indian passport, which she used to travel and work abroad, including six years of employment in Kuwait.

#BREAKING: A Bangladeshi woman, Maria Khatun Mohammad Mansoor Ali, was arrested at Mumbai Airport for illegally entering India and using forged documents to obtain an Indian passport. Living in India for 33 years, she used the fake passport to work in Kuwait for six years and… pic.twitter.com/Jx5dpR2l5T

— IANS (@ians_india) May 28, 2025

The arrest took place when Maria arrived from Kuwait and was flagged by immigration officials during routine checks. Investigations revealed that she had acquired her Indian passport fraudulently. She was later handed over to the Sahar Police, who registered a case and arrested her, reported IANS. Officials are now investigating how she managed to stay under the radar for decades and whether she was aided by a larger, illegal network. Her arrest has also raised questions about loopholes in the passport verification system.

Bomb Threat Call Creates Panic, 35-Year-Old Tailor Arrested

In an unrelated incident just a day earlier, a 35-year-old tailor was arrested for making a hoax bomb threat targeting Mumbai Airport. The accused, Manjeet Kumar Gautam, who resides in Sakinaka and hails originally from Uttar Pradesh, called the Mumbai police control room and claimed the airport would be blown up by 2 pm on May 27.

The call triggered a swift response from the MIDC police and airport security agencies, including the deployment of bomb detection squads and enhanced surveillance. Gautam was traced and arrested within hours.

During questioning, Gautam admitted he made the call following a personal argument with his wife. He reportedly told police that he “wanted to go to jail” after the domestic dispute and made the threat to ensure arrest. There are no previous cases against him. He has now been handed over to the Azad Maidan police for further action.