A CBI Court in Thiruvananthapuram has found Alex C Joseph, a native of Tiruvalla, guilty in a fake passport case. Joseph, who was accused of fraudulently importing luxury cars, faces various charges that carry a cumulative punishment of eight years. However, he will serve only three years as the punishments will run concurrently.
Former police Sub-inspector Vinod Krishnan, who was the second accused in the case, was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Joseph allegedly evaded customs duty by using the names of workers returning from foreign countries to import luxury cars, declaring them as used vehicles to claim a duty reduction.
The case against Joseph was registered in 2012 when he was arrested by the immigration department at Hyderabad airport. He was detained while attempting to fly to Dubai on a fake passport, following a lookout notice issued by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
