PESHAWAR, Oct 5: Immigration authorities at Peshawar International Airport on Wednesday arrested two persons who were trying to board Pakistan International Airline flights to Saudi Arabia carrying passports which did not belong to them, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Both the accused have been handed over to the passport cell of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which registered separate cases under the Passport Act and started investigation, assistant director immigration cell Inamullah Khan Gandapur told Dawn.

The immigration staff arrested Mohammad Hussain, son of Sher Mohammad, a resident of Adenzai village of Dir district, who was trying to board a Riyadh-bound PIA flight on Wednesday morning, Mr Gandapur added. He said that the accused possessed passport No KE-115489 issued to Alamzeb, son of Hazrat Ahmad, a resident of Chakdara town of the same district. During preliminary interrogations, the accused confessed to having changed the picture on the passport.

The FIA official said that on Tuesday night, Mansab Dad, a resident of Dir, was also arrested from the immigration counter when he came there for checking the passport. Duty officer Sardarullah Baber checked his passport and found it tampered.

Mansab Dad confessed that the passport No KB-029700 had been issued to Abdul Hanan, son of Mir Zaman, and he wanted to travel to Jeddah by PK-735 after changing the picture, Mr Gandapur said.

The French law-enforcement agencies have expelled Shakeel Ahmad Dilshad, a resident of Khaniwal district, on charges of staying in the country illegally.