Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

A 35-year-old Asian man was arrested and referred to the criminal court on forgery charges, after forging a leasing contract to issue a Dubai visa for his family.

Court records indicate that the defendant had headed to a government institution to get his family’s visa issued last May.

He handed over his family’s documents along with the forged lease, thinking that he could get away with his crime.

However, the vigilance of one of the employees exposed the defendant’s criminal act, as the employee suspected the authenticity of the contract.

The employee compared details and discovered that it was forged. The case was transferred to the concerned authorities and the defendant was immediately placed under arrest.

During interrogation, the forger confessed to committing such an act only to facilitate the coming of his family to the UAE.

Recently, a 37-year-old Asian adviser was imprisoned and prosecuted by Dubai courts for forging a rental contract to get visa issued for his son.

Official records indicate that the incident took place last March, after the defendant’s crime was discovered by employees of an immigration services office.

After auditing the documents submitted by the defendant, employees found out that the contract’s stamps attributed to Sharjah Municipality and Sewa were forged.

They informed authorities and the defendant was arrested. “The defendant submitted official documents, including the forged tenancy contract to get a visa issued for his son,” an employee of the immigration services office testified. “After the forgery was discovered, the defendant admitted to getting the help of another accomplice to forge the documents in exchange for Dhs700.”

During investigations the defendant confessed to getting the runaway accomplice’s help in forging the contract in exchange for money.

In April, the Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld the ruling issued by Criminal Court of sentencing an African duo to a year in jail and a Dhs150,000 fine for committing forgery in Dubai.

The duo will be deported after serving their jail term. The incident dates back to January last year, when the two defendants worked with other accomplices to forge official documents and seize a vehicle to export it abroad. The victim, an Arab salesman working at a car showroom, filed a police report against the main defendant, who was later arrested and sentenced to 1 year jail-term and a Dhs220,000 fine.