KARACHI, Aug 7: The Pakistani immigration police arrested 14 Chinese and two South Koreans on Monday for their alleged involvement in a fake passport scam, an official said.

The Chinese — eight women and six men — are accused of trying to travel to Europe on forged South Korean passports, while the Korean man and woman allegedly helped them, said Mohammed Malik, an official with the Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan’s immigration police.

Six of the 14 Chinese were arrested minutes before they were to board a flight from Karachi to Istanbul, Turkey, while the eight others and the two Koreans had been arrested earlier at a guest house in the same city, Malik said.

The suspects all arrived in Karachi on Friday from Seoul, he said.

“During an investigation the Chinese disclosed their true nationality and confessed to carrying forged Korean passports,” Malik said, adding that the Koreans had genuine passports.

The Chinese were economic migrants heading to Europe for jobs, Malik said, adding that all the detainees could face up to three years in jail and fines if convicted for possessing forged passports.

It could not be ascertained as to when they would be taken to court.—AP