Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Ehab Atta, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday started hearing a case in which an Arab visitor, 41, was accused of forging a passport and attempting to use it for leaving for a European country to seek asylum.

According to the official records, the defendant confessed that when he decided to go to a European country to seek asylum, he communicated with a smuggler in his homeland, who accepted to assist him and give him a forged European passport through which he could go to any European country against €11,000 to be paid upon arrival to his destination.

The defendant agreed and gave the smuggler personal photos for the forged passport and then travelled to Malaysia, which required neither a European passport nor even a visa.

As per the smuggler’s instructions, however, the defendant had to pass through the transit area of a UAE airport to receive the forged passport because he entered the UAE with his original passport.

The defendant had to stay in the UAE for two days before resuming his trip to Europe using his new forged passport.

While he was standing in front of the immigration officer, he was suspected and referred to the document examination centre of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs where he was found to be holding a forged passport and was consequently arrested.

In a separate development, two cousins died and three other were injured when their vehicle collided with a truck parked on the road after midnight on Al Ain Dubai Road in Al Faqaa area.

A relative of the deceased said the five victims aged between 16 and 28, adding the accident occurred at about 2:30am, when the deceased’s vehicle collided with a truck parked on the road without any warning notice unless a water bottle which can hardly be seen at night.

He pointed out that the other injured who were hospitalised were in stable condition.