Mumbai, May 4 (UNI) A man who had been travelling to Rome with a forged Indian passport, was detained at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here, officials said here on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Bipin Mahendra Basnet, is believed to be a Nepali national who has allegedly lived illegally in India for past 40 years.

According to a complaint filed with the Sahar Police, Basnet was scheduled to travel to Rome via Doha for a seaman's job. However, an assistant immigration officer at the airport grew suspicious while examining his travel documents, noting multiple visits to Nepal despite the man claiming to be an Indian citizen.

During the investigation, it was found that Basnet had managed to obtain critical Indian identity documents and based upon that, used to create the forged passport that he presented at the immigration counter.

The man has since been taken into custody under relevant sections of the Passports Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police confirmed that if his Nepali nationality is conclusively established, Basnet will be deported following appropriate legal procedures.

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