The Zimbabwean police have busted a syndicate organizing South African visas by altering passports to reflect adults as children and arrested 20 people, The Herald reported on Thursday.

 

At least 37 passports that are believed to have been tampered with have since been recovered, the newspaper said.

 

Twelve people appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday for allegedly forging their traveling documents to acquire South African visas through the easier route allowed to children.

 

Eight more are to be brought to court soon after police recovered at least 37 passports from an agent, Jonah Runyowa.

 

Runyowa, who was allegedly in the business of processing the fraudulent documents on behalf of aspiring travellers and whom the detainees said was the driving force behind the deal, is still at large, police said.

 

The 12 were not asked to plead to conspiring to commit fraud when they appeared before three different magistrates. They were all remanded out of custody to various dates later this month.

 

Very few things are required for a minor to acquire a South African visa compared to the requirements for adults.

 

Children only need to submit copies of their birth certificates as proof of age and a letter of consent from their parents.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)