Police identified the suspect as Mahammad Rumzan, 57. He was also known as ‘Johnny Painter’ and worked in disguise as a portrait painter on Sukhumwit in Bangkok.

Rumzan appeared yesterday at a press conference along with 92 traveller’s cheques worth Bt270,000, plus 40 fake passports for 12 European countries, 20 fake visa stamps, 91 fake visa stickers and some forgery tools.

Immigration Police chief Pol Lt General Natthorn Phrosunthorn said Rumzan was nabbed in Don Muang district last Friday while allegedly delivering a forged passport to a customer. A search of his bag by police found: four French and two Israeli passports, four of which were reported stolen. A search at his apartment also revealed more evidence.

Natthorn said the suspect also worked as binder for falsified |passports allegedly supplied to |the Doctor’s network at Bt2,000 to Bt3,000 per passport. “The Doctor,” whose real name is Hamid Reza Jafary, was nabbed on February 8 in Chachoengsao.

Police expanded the investigation after Jafary’s arrest and found Rumzan. Rumzan however claimed to be forced into the illegal activity by his ‘boss’ whom he did not identify.