08/01/2009

Men In Court Over Stolen Passports

Three men have been charged with handling stolen goods after thousands of blank passports and visas were recovered from a delivery van in Oldham.

Muneer Hussain, 29, of Dearnalay Way, Oldham, and Jawad Karim, 18, of Vicarage Street, Oldham, and Mohammed Shanawaz, 23, of Old Lane, Chadderton, were arrested on Sunday evening when the car they were travelling in was stopped on the M62.

Three thousand blank passports and visas were discovered in Long Lane, Chadderton.

The men are due to appear before Oldham Magistrates' Court later today.

It is understood the documents were being transported from the printers in Chadderton to RAF Northolt when they were stolen outside a newsagents shop last year.

The Foreign Office admitted a serious breach of security over the loss of the passports and visa documents, thought to be worth £2.5 million on the black market.

(JM/BMcC)

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