by Linda Straker
- Indian nationals arrived via a flight from Trinidad
- First court appearance on Tuesday, 7 October and each pleaded guilty to the charge of Uttering a Falsified Passport
- They were fined $6,000 each to be paid forthwith, or in default, 4 months imprisonment
Five Indian nationals who arrived in Grenada via a flight from Trinidad’s Piarco International Airport using fake passports were ordered removed from the island; however, they are currently inmates at the Richmond Hill Prison because they did not pay the magistrate-imposed fine.
A press release from the Community Relations Department of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) said that on Monday, 6 September 2025, officers attached to the Immigration and Passport Department arrested and charged one male and 4 female Indian nationals for the offence of Uttering a Falsified Passport.
Section 36, Subsection 1 (a) of the Immigration Act states “a person who for the purpose of entering or of remaining in Grenada in contravention of the Act or any other law, or of assisting any other person so to enter or so to remain, fabricates or falsifies any permit, certificate or other documents, or utters, uses, or attempts to use, any permit, certificate or other document, knowing it to have been fabricated or falsified shall be guilty of an offence.”
The individuals charged were:
- Malkesh Patel, 35 years old, of Bharock-Gujarat province
- Arati Patel, 27 years old, of Bharock-Gujarat province
- Nidhiben Patel, 31 years old, of Maharashira province
- Ishita Patel, 24 years old, of Maharashira province
- Ashikaben Gajjar, 24 years old, of Puntar province
The release said the charge was laid against everyone after each of them presented falsified Indian passports to immigration officers to gain entry into the State of Grenada. The individuals made their first court appearance at the St George’s #1 Magistrate Court on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, and each pleaded guilty to the charge.
“As a result, they were fined $6,000 each to be paid forthwith, or in default, 4 months imprisonment,” said the release. A follow-up with the police confirmed that as of 9 October, they failed to pay the fine and were sent to prison.
Once the money is paid or the sentence is served, the Indian nationals will be removed from the state as ordered by the Magistrate Court. When asked if the 5 were suspected as victims of human trafficking, an official at the Community Relations Department said, “We do not have this information at hand.”
