How one master forger oversaw vast counterfeit passport network – before Thai police busted him
For years detectives had hunted ‘The Doctor’, who was revered among Bangkok’s criminal underworld for producing the most sophisticated fake travel documents on the market
For a few thousand dollars “The Doctor” opened doors to the world, supplying pristine fake passports to gangsters and rebels, refugees and migrant workers – all from an unassuming, scruffy house in the Bangkok suburbs.
But this Iranian master forger now languishes in a Thai jail after a rare slip unspooled a criminal enterprise that helped thousands of people sidle into Europe and beyond.
Last week, Thai police said they had finally dismantled his network following a five-year probe, dealing a hammer blow to a gang that supplied “Triple A-quality” forgeries to global trafficking syndicates.
Nine men have been arrested, returning the spotlight to Thailand’s key role as a global hub for fake passports, a shadowy industry dominated by highly skilled Iranians and Pakistanis serving customers from South Asia, the Middle East and further afield.
It’s a game ... police chase the bad guys, the bad guys run. But this is game over
For years detectives had hunted The Doctor, a name revered among Bangkok’s criminal underworld for producing the most sophisticated forged travel documents on the market for just US$2,000-US$3,000.