Arrest of 'Iranian Leader' of Passport Forgers in Thailand

On February 10, the Thai police announced that after a successful five-year operation, they had arrested members of one of the largest and most successful passport forgery groups, including its 'Iranian leader.' According to reports from Thailand, the police identified the 'leader' of this group as Hamidreza Jafari, a 48-year-old known as 'Doctor.' In this police operation, six foreign citizens were arrested. Reports indicate that Hamidreza Jafari conducted his operations from his home in a province east of Bangkok. The Bangkok Post published a photo that allegedly shows the arrested suspect and stated that the police operation on the previous Monday had 'dismantled one of the largest passport forgery groups in Thailand.' Agence France-Presse also quoted the commander of the immigration police in Thailand, stating that various security organizations, especially from the European Union and Japan, had been searching for this Iranian citizen. The other five foreign citizens arrested were Pakistani. A police officer told Agence France-Presse that Jafari's passports were 'the highest quality in the market,' with most of his clients being Iranian, Syrian, and Iraqi. These passports were priced at around $2,300. The police reported finding nearly 200 passports during the raid on Hamidreza Jafari's home, most of which were fake, and some had been stolen from tourists and forged. Every year, thousands of passports are lost or stolen in Thailand, which is considered a major center for producing fake passports in Asia. Iranian officials have not yet reacted to the reports about the arrest of this Iranian citizen.