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Bangladeshi lived 'double life' in Wolverhampton after paying £9,000 for fake British passport

A Bangladeshi lived a double life under a false name in this country for 16 years before justice finally caught up with him, a judge heard.

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Islam Chowdhury pretended to be Maitur Rahman on arrival in this country in 2000, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The 52-year-old paid around £9,000 for a forged British passport while still living in his home country.

It had been acquired in some way from Maitur Rahman who had died in a Southampton Hospital in July 1991 but the date of birth was changed from March 8 1938 to March 8 1968 which involved less alteration than Chowdhury's real birth date of October 10 1963.

The passport was renewed when it expired before the defendant flew to this country to set up home as a 'British' citizen using the name of Maitur Rahman which he then adopted.

Four years after arriving he used the passport to start claiming Housing Benefit and had illegally pocketed over £6,600 of the state aid before his cover was blown earlier this year.

By that time he had got a National Insurance number and had been working under the false name and had paid tax on the earnings.

He also used his British passport to get leave to remain in the UK for his wife and elder children who would otherwise not have been able to enter this country. His daughter was born here.

Mr Paul Spratt, prosecuting, told the court: "This man obtained a genuine passport in another name before he came to this country from Bangladesh in October 2000. There is no evidence that he was the person who carried out the mechanics of changing the passport. In fact he has said he paid £9000 for the doctored document in Bangladesh.

"He then used it to travel in and out of this country for the next 16 years as well as bring his wife and elder child to this country when they would otherwise have been unable to enter. The other child was born in this country. He also acquired a National Insurance number and fraudulently obtained almost £7,000 in housing benefit. He knew what he was doing was fraudulent."

Chowdhury from Kirmond Walk, Dunstall, Wolverhampton pleaded guilty to using a false passport to enter the country on several occasions; possession of a false identity document and using it to claim Housing Benefit.

He further admitted using a bogus British passport to sponsor the GB passport application of his daughter and to unlawfully obtain visas for his wife and other child.

The defendant was remanded on conditional bail and will be sentenced at a date to be fixed when full details of the case will be outlined to the court.

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