An Iranian couple carrying fake Israeli passports were arrested in India's Chennai Airport on Thursday, local media reported Saturday.
The couple, who had just arrived at the airport after a domestic flight from Goa, were detained by immigration officials before they could board a British Airways flight to London.
“They had original Iranian passports, but they also had Israeli passports, which resulted in their detention in the airport,” airport police said.
After finding both sets of passports, security officials began to scrutinize the travel documents and the duo were interrogated by both British and Indian intelligence agencies.
According to the Indian Express, the woman had lived in Pune for the past 10 years, while the man was working in Goa. They met, married and made plans to immigrate to the United States.
The two apparently decided to forge Israeli passports under the belief they would prove more useful than Iranian papers in receiving work visas from the US. The passports were forged in Goa, police said.
As yet, there has been no indication the Iranian couple was involved in terrorist activities.