Two individuals from Skopje were arrested at the Tabanovce border crossing yesterday on suspicion of document forgery. S.S. (59) and B.A. (55) were apprehended by police upon entering the country.

S.S., the driver of a “Golf” vehicle with Skopje license plates, attempted to gain priority passage by falsely claiming to be a diplomat. He presented a travel document purported to be issued by the European Police Committee to FRONTEX officers. He also told Macedonian police officers that he was employed by the Ministry of Interior, though he did not possess his official identification.

A subsequent search of the person and vehicle revealed a cache of suspicious items. These included travel documents, a biometric page for a travel document, two plastic stamps, and four ID cards.

Authorities seized the items and detained both individuals due to reasonable suspicion of committing the criminal offense of “document forgery” under Article 378 of the Criminal Code.

Following a thorough investigation of the case, appropriate charges will be filed against S.S. and B.A.