PIA steward jailed for five years over smuggling fake passports in underwear

Shaukat Ali Cheema was arrested at Birmingham airport in March after 26 passports were discovered in his briefs

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) steward has been jailed for five years for trying to smuggle fake passports by hiding them in a pair of specially adapted underpants.

Shaukat Ali Cheema, 59, was arrested at Birmingham airport in March after 26 passports and 37 passport biodata pages were discovered in his briefs.

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Further, border force staff also found 13 driving licenses which he had concealed in his pockets and compartments sewn into the pants.

After he was sentenced, the National Crime Agency said that he worked with the national carrier for 40 years.

Shaukat Ali Cheema. PHOTO: THE TELGRAPH

“The passports and driving licences that Cheema attempted to smuggle in his pants were intended for people across Europe and beyond,” said Dawn Cartwright of the NCA’s border policing command.

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“Fake documents are a serious concern for law enforcement. Those driving licences could have ended up in the hands of people who weren’t qualified, or safe, to drive. And more generally, fake and fraudulently obtained documents help criminals to avoid law enforcement detection and carry on in their criminality.”

Cheema pleaded guilty to processing false identity documents with improper intention.

It has been speculated that the documents were intended for use in Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Pakistan.

This article originally appeared on the Guardian.