OSH, Kyrgyzstan -- A ring selling phony Kyrgyz passports and operating out of Osh could become dangerously useful to terrorists, if it has not already become so, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s Tajik service reported August 23, quoting Kyrgyz officials.
The ring is particularly worrisome because it somehow has obtained genuine passport blanks and for a price will attach a foreigner's photo to a passport blank, RFE/RL reported. Those passports have biometric protections, such as those held by genuine Kyrgyz citizens. The going price is US $2,000 to $3,000 (136,810 to 205,220 KGS).
The ring first gained authorities' attention when Turkish police in May in Istanbul arrested 98 individuals on a single flight, all of whom had phony Kyrgyz passports. Officials are investigating whether personnel in the Kyrgyz passport agency are involved.
