Islamabad: Immigration officials at Islamabad International Airport intercepted a passenger attempting to travel to Spain on a counterfeit French Schengen visa, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) authorities confirmed.
The traveler was flagged during secondary profiling while attempting to board Qatar Airways flight QR-615 to Spain. Upon physical inspection of his travel documents, officials identified suspicious security features on the French Schengen visa sticker affixed to his passport.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect admitted to acquiring the fraudulent visa through an associate in Saudi Arabia for an initial payment of 550 Saudi riyals, with an agreed final payment of 45,000 Saudi riyals due upon arrival in Europe. Forensic analysis of the suspect's mobile device revealed WhatsApp communications with an additional handler concerning European visa clearance. Following his removal from the flight, the passenger was transferred to the FIA.
