2 brothers held in espionage case involving fake passports

Two brothers, Adil Hussain and Akhtar Hussain, have been arrested on espionage charges for allegedly maintaining contact with nuclear scientists abroad, sharing sensitive information and procuring multiple Indian passports using forged documents, police sources said on Tuesday.

Adil Hussain (59) was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from Seemapuri, East Delhi, on Sunday, while his brother Akhtar was detained by the Mumbai Police, officials said.

Investigations revealed that Adil had travelled to several countries, including Pakistan, according to sources. Officials stated that Adil maintained regular contact with nuclear scientists based overseas, while Akhtar had visited several Gulf nations and allegedly obtained three identity cards from a confidential centre using forged documents.

During interrogation, investigators found that the brothers were “involved in sharing sensitive information with foreign entities and obtaining multiple Indian passports using fake papers,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah.

Police recovered one original passport and two forged copies from Adil’s possession. He was arrested under Sections 61(2), 318, 338 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The court has granted seven days’ police custody for further questioning, Kushwah said.

Adil is being interrogated about his role in the fake passport network and related espionage activities. Sources disclosed that the racket was being operated from Jamshedpur, where forged documents were used to manufacture fake passports and identity cards.

The investigation team is now tracing individuals who were in contact with the suspects, the source of the confidential information and its intended recipients. Authorities are also verifying the scale of the network and how many people may have obtained forged passports through this operation.