South Africa May 2006 |
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| Passport syndicate cracked, (Sapa, 2006-05-03):-Three Nigerians were arrested on Tuesday in Pretoria West, on suspicion of bringing foreigners into the country as South African citizens, police said. Police spokesman Inspector Anton Breedt said the men, aged 27, 32 and 35 were found with passports belonging to people from a number of African countries, birth certificates and various Department of Home Affairs application forms and stamps. Police seized all the documents found in an office they were believed to be operating from. Birth certificates and passports belonging to people from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt were among the documents seized. Breedt said that the 35-year-old man apparently owned a car repair business in the area, but could not confirm whether the business was a front for his dealings in passports and birth certificates. "This is a breakthrough in what we believe is a syndicate," Breedt said, adding that more arrests were imminent. The three will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday. Two of the men are suspected illegal immigrants while police are still investigating the validity of dual citizenship claimed by the 35-year-old man. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |