British Student in Court for Stealing Passports

British Student in Court for Stealing Passports

A BRITISH student, Ahsan Ali Iqbal (19) appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam on Friday charged with four counts, including theft of 26 passports, property of the United Republic of Tanzania.

He denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Sudi Fimbo and was remanded until July 9, when he will be joined in the case involving four other persons facing similar counts.

They include an official with Immigration Department, Shemweta Mustafa Kiluwasha (31), prominent musician, Chigwele Che Mundugwao (46), Kenneth Kombo Pius (37), an engineer with Fire and Rescue Department and Ally Jabir Ally (34), a businessman.

The magistrate refused to grant bail to Iqbal, a resident of London, after the prosecution produced a certificate given by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to object bail on grounds of state security.

Reading the charges against the British, Senior State Attorney Tumaini Kweka alleged that at unknown time in the City of Dar es Salaam, the accused conspired with other persons to commit an offence.

The prosecutor told the court that between April 16 and May 10, this year, at Kurasini area in Temeke District, the accused stole the Tanzanian passports, valued at 1.3m/-.

He alleged that at unknown time and place in the city, with intent to defraud, Iqbal forged a passport number AB 651926, purporting to show that it was genuinely issued by Immigration Department of Tanzania, the fact that he knew to be false.

In another development, the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Robert Manumba confirmed that Mr Iqbal is being sought by the British government on terrorism charges. The DCI said upon his arrest, Mr Iqbal was found in possession of a laptop that contained seditious documents.